Revelations
by Seras0Victoria
Summary: Lenalee goes off to train harder as she had promised herself but Allen has started to disengage himself from those he cares about after finding out that he would be overtaken by the 14th. Can they reconcile their unspoken feelings during this trial?
1. Chapter 1

**Revelations Chapter 1**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this is shortly after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch**

"Just what the HELL do you think you're doing? How could you not see that?"

Lenalee slowly pushed herself up from the concrete floor, her arms trembling from fatigue as much as from pain, and slowly got back on her feet.

"Fou-san, you don't have to yell," Lenalee managed to croak out, as she used her sleeve to wipe the blood and spittle from the side of her mouth. Her legs and body sagging, it took all of her remaining strength to lift her head up and look directly at her opponent.

"Hmph! Seems you've got a long road ahead of you so you better get used my yelling, I'll tell you that much!" spat Fou. "Again!"

"That's enough for now," said Branch Chief Bak, as he walked into the arena, clipboard fastidiously in hand. "You two have been at it for 8 hours straight. Lenalee needs to eat and Fou, we're getting completed readings from the repaired Gate… I'd feel better knowing you scanned it for final approval.

"Fine, I'll send my report through to Lab 3 as usual," said Fou. She then turned to face Lenalee. "If you're still here tomorrow, little girl, we'll start again at noon." With that, Fou headed toward the Gate and disappeared into it, leaving spokes of electric charges crawling along the wall in her wake.

"You know, Lenalee, you might stand a better chance with Fou if you activated your Innocence," said Bak, softly.

"Somehow I doubt that," Lenalee said with a smile as she looked at her legs, "but I don't want to train with my Innocence. Not yet. I want to become stronger with just this. Just me. Fou-san is doing her best, so should I. Thank you again, Bak-san, for letting me stay here and train."

Branch Chief Bak pretended to look at something important on his clipboard. He had to. If he made direct eye contact with Lenalee, he would break out into hives and start sweating profusely, especially with her smiling like that. He wouldn't be able to leave the room with any dignity and damned if he was going to embarrass himself like that again. His thoughts returned to when Lenalee arrived a month ago. He knew she was coming and he thought he had prepared himself but as soon as Wong ushered her in, before she could even say a word to him, he stuttered, broke out, and he had to welcome her with his back turned. Humiliating. It seemed to get a little better as the days passed but he never knew when she'd turn that smile on him, or touch his arm, or surprise him by sharing a meal in his office. He could barely get anything done those days.

"Ahem. It's nothing, Lenalee-san. I'm glad we can be of some help to you. Just don't push yourself too hard."

"I don't have too much time, Bak-san. It won't be long before nii-san becomes suspicious, so I have to make sure to maximize every minute of every day that I'm here."

"You don't need to remind me of that, Lenalee-san," replied Bak with a nervous chuckle as he felt a little chill run though his body. When he received the letter from Lenalee a few months ago, after his initial head-spinning, heart-pounding reaction, he calmly read her request to stay and train at the Asian Branch… but without Komui's knowledge. Though he was resistant to hiding anything from Komui, he knew Lenalee's request wouldn't be approved if she went through appropriate channels. Her letter was so sincere as well as adamant that, in the end, he affirmed her wishes. He didn't tell anyone, however, that he felt slightly vindicated from that time Komui refused to let him see Lenalee while she was recovering in the medical ward. _The nerve of that guy setting up a gauntlet AND a blockade!_ But this was bigger than whatever irksome feelings he had that day. Lenalee's goals were genuine and he would do his best to help her because he saw the bigger scheme of things. He had faith that helping her would also help her fellow Exorcists. "I am fully aware of the tenuous situation you're in. However, when you do return to your brother, I would like you to be in one piece."

"I understand, Bak-san," replied Lenalee as she finished brushing herself off, "I'll go get cleaned up and have some dinner. Are you going to have a meal as well?"

"Ah, no, no, I've too much to do. Besides, I already ate. Please go on. Get some rest."

Lenalee nodded and walked slowly to the showers through the back corridors as Bak continued to wave her off until well after she rounded the corner. She had always thought Bak-san seemed a bit flighty at times but, when it came down to it, she had full confidence in his leadership abilities as well as his intellectual prowess. He had proven himself over and over again and she truly was grateful that he allowed her this time here. He was risking much for her but she was hoping her plan would go through without a hitch. If not, she would have a lot of explaining to do; to more people than just her brother. As these thoughts ran through her mind, she suddenly felt a presence behind her. She continued to walk nonchalantly but then turned around quickly without warning. It was then that she caught a young face peering out from behind a column which quickly pulled back with a small squeak when she made eye contact.

"Hello? There's no need to be shy. I would like to meet you," implored Lenalee. She had felt this presence before soon after she arrived but thought it was just general curiosity one of Bak-san's staff. But it had gone on long enough now.

A petite young girl who wore braids, glasses, and a lab coat slowly stepped out from behind the column. "Sumimasen!" shouted the girl as she bowed. "I just didn't know when it would be a good time to…um…I am Lou Fa, I'm an apprentice at the science department here."

Lenalee walked up to the flustered girl and extended her hand. "My name is Lenalee. I think I remember your face from a while ago but I regret we were never formally introduced. I am glad to finally meet you. "

Lou Fa had overheard Wong talk to custodial staff about an Exorcist who would be coming to visit the Branch. She also heard that the person was from the Headquarters. She was hoping to get some news about Walker-san. No one at the Asian Branch save Chief Bak had seen him and he wasn't very forthcoming with information since the Exorcists had all returned on the Ark. There had been so many injuries then; all she wanted to know was if Walker-san was well. What she wasn't expecting was to be met with such a warm and sincere smile. She began to blush as she looked up into Lenalee lovely face, only just noticing the small cuts and bruises on her cheek and jaw. Comes with the job, Lou Fa supposed. She noted that Lenalee was also quite taller than she looked from a distance.

"Um…nice to meet you, too, Lenalee-san. Ano…"

"Is there something I can help you with, Lou Fa-chan?" prompted Lenalee, feeling she should give Lou Fa a helpful nudge.

Lou Fa blushed even more furiously. She was being addressed so comfortably and sweetly for having just met someone. There weren't very many other girls or women she knew well, especially in the science department. She had become accustomed to working with and being around men, mostly, and therefore being somewhat detached, but this felt like a refreshing change. She decided that she would welcome and return Lenalee's comfortable attitude.

"Lenalee-san, you're visiting from main Headquarters?"

"Oh…yes, I am," replied Lenalee hesitantly, she needed to make sure to do better in keeping her presence here known to a minimum number of people.

"Do you happen to know an Exorcist named Allen Walker?"

At the mention of his name, Lenalee's expression changed abruptly but she caught it in time and smiled again. "Yes, I do. He's a good friend of mine."

"Well, I just wanted to know if Walker-san was doing all right. I haven't seen him in a few months and I know there were some injuries when everyone returned with the Ark. But then there was an attack on Headquarters and all I know is that a Level 4 akuma was defeated and there were casualties but I still haven't heard the details…beyond gossip and rumors."

"So, you wanted the facts, is that it?"

"Yes, if it's okay."

"You must be a good scientist, Lou Fa-chan."

"Oh no…I'm just an apprentice…I don't do anything important…"

"Well, I was just going to wash up and then get something to eat. Would you like to join me for dinner? We can chat all you want."

"Really? I mean, sure! I just finished my shift so some beef noodle soup sounds good!"

"That does sound good. And I know this may be strange but would you mind eating with me in my room? I will ask Wong if he can bring beef noodle soup for both of us. I just feel more comfortable there."

"Oh…well, I guess that's fine. Sometimes I eat in the lab because it's just easier and it's the most comfortable place for me besides my own room, so I understand."

"Great! I'm staying in the room on the lowest level, Hall D, the one next to the filing closet. Meet me there in 20 minutes?"

"Um, okay. But why is Lenalee-san…."

"Now I know Lou Fa-chan must be a great scientist because all great scientists ask a lot of questions, ne?" Lenalee said as she laughed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry…yeah, I guess I'm being trained well," giggled Lou Fa, twirling one of her braids as she was wont to do when embarrassed. "I'll see you in 20 minutes."

Lenalee nodded and headed toward the private showers used by the head staff. Having someone to chat with about home might be good for her. All she could do for the past month was think about everyone at home and how much she missed them. Maybe sharing some stories and getting to know someone better at this Branch would alleviate some of her homesickness. But Lou Fa would want to talk about Allen-kun, she realized, and that wasn't going to be easy. At the mention of his name moments before, Lenalee's pulse quickened and she could feel the heat rise to her face. As she squelched her physical reaction, she still felt pulled apart knowing that she had left headquarters without saying a word to him. But he was doing his best to avoid her and it hurt too much to look for someone who wanted nothing to do with her.

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Revelations Chapter 2**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this is shortly after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Headquarters**

"Oh Komui-saaan….I'm back from that child's errand you sent me on…" Lavi was going to have a few words and possibly include a few smacks about the head with the Supervisor for this. "_Retrieve the collected Innocence from the field," my tight left butt cheek! _When Lavi had met up with the Finder at the secured location, what he got handed was two backpacks full of South American black market coffee beans. The Finder seemed mortified at his duty but he had nothing on Lavi, whose face was reddening with acrimony the likes of which could match his own hair color.

As Lavi walked into Komui's office, careful to only walk along the path of cleared documents as if it was the parted Red Sea, he saw the Supervisor hunched over his desk, cupping the phone to his mouth and speaking in exasperated tones to someone on the other end. He hadn't even heard Lavi come in. Lavi entertained the idea of being professional and coming back after the phone call but the next bit of the conversation made him stop in his tracks.

"What do you mean you haven't seen her yet? She can't be out shopping all day, can she? Just wait for her around the corner then, she has to at least come back to sleep…"

"Oi. Komui." Lavi said with a low and straight tone this time, crossing his arms as he did so.

"Gah! Lavi, you surprised me, ha ha, one moment, please," cried Komui, as beads of sweat formed anew below the line of his beret. He turned his back to Lavi and quickly finished his conversation in hushed whispers before quickly hanging up the phone. He missed the first time and so made repeated attempts to get the phone in its cradle before he was successful.

"Now, Lavi," said Komui, suddenly all calm and composed, "what can I do for you?"

Before Komui could sit his smiling self down in his chair, Lavi pitched a backpack full of coffee beans he had been carrying over his shoulder as hard as he could right at Komui's head. To his surprise, Komui caught it, unfazed, and took a long, good whiff of the back pack.

"Ahhhhh, the aroma is incredible. Thank you for bringing these safely home, Lavi."

"I was told I was going to go collect Innocence only to find out I'm an overqualified errand boy. For coffee?"

"I think you highly underestimate the importance of the contents of his pack, Lavi. This is what keeps Headquarters running! It's almost as important as retrieving Innocence as far as I'm concerned. Besides, you're the only one I had available to me. Kanda's in the Philippines and Allen-kun is, well, stuck here for the time being. Now…if only I had a lovely assistant here to brew some for all of us…" Komui's love-struck gaze drifted off into the distance as he hugged the backpack tightly to him.

_Ugh._ "Speaking of which, Komui, besides wasting time and resources by sending an Exorcist out for coffee, it seems you've taken a Finder off his job to go tracking something personal to you, am I right?"

"Eh?"

"Lenalee is on vacation. You know that. You approved it. Leave her alone."

"B-b-but, Lavi! She hasn't contacted us in over a month now! She went straight back to China from her last mission and I haven't seen her since! What if she's in danger? She hasn't even checked in with us once!"

"I assume you've already tracked her golem to her precise location?"

Komui could only give him a sheepish grin.

Lavi sat down in the chair across from Komui's desk, crossed his legs, and let out a sigh. "She deserves a little breather, don't you think? She's been through a lot in the past few months; I don't need to remind you. I think it's healthy that she wants to go back to China and get to know her homeland a little. When Allen and I were walking around the towns with her, she seemed sad that she had no memory of her own country. She was robbed of that opportunity."

Komui's expression fell. "I know. And it pains me to realize that this is the only home she's ever known."

"Then give her time to create some memories of her first home. You know she'll come back to this one, if that's what you're worried about. You're here. She will always come back."

Komui held his head in his hands. "She's the only sister I have. Worrying is what I do."

"Well, you can't possibly think that she is incapable of taking care of herself, whatever she may come across while shopping. Those new Dark Boots are not going to fail her. We all witnessed that."

Silence.

"Call off the dogs, Komui. You've already found out she's staying at an Inn in Guangzhou. That's all you need to know."

"Wait! How do YOU know that, Lavi?"

"Because," he replied, as he got up from his seat with a crooked smile, "that's where she told me she'd go." Off of Komui's stunned look, "Now, I'll wait until you call whomever it was you spoke to when I walked in so I can hear you tell them to go back to their unit and leave Lenalee alone."

Begrudgingly, Komui did just that and Lavi left the office satisfied that he was able to stave Komui off for a little while at least. Lenalee entrusted him with this responsibility should it ever come to be necessary, and no matter how reticent he was about her actual plans, he would not fail her in keeping Komui at bay for as long as possible. As a Bookman, he was learning to be the soul of discretion. As a friend, he would support her in whatever her heart longed for.

Hoping Lenalee was well in Bak-san's care, as well as she could be without causing him to shrivel up, Lavi walked toward his room, ready for some shut eye. The next time he was sent on a mission, he would make sure to the check the coffee reserves first, just in case. He closed his eyes, yawned, and continued walking with his hands clasped behind his head; muscle memory alone guiding his feet to his quarters. The clip of his boot heels on the cold floor echoed lightly around the hall and added to the solitude of the night. Suddenly, he collided with something.

"Lavi!"

"Hey, Allen."

"Sorry about that."

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I was a little hungry so I thought I'd get a snack. It helps me fall asleep."

"Where's your tail?"

"Oh, Inspector Link? He's asleep."

"So you're sneaking around, huh?"

"Well, no, I…" Allen started to protest but his hands fell back to his sides just as quickly as they had come up to wave off Lavi's assertion. "It's just that I don't get too much time to myself these days. I know it's his job but Link is always with me. I've learned to ignore it for the most part but there are times when I just wish I could have even a few moments. It's been worse since…"

"Since what?"

Allen stopped himself before he mentioned the talk that his Master had with him. Even though a few months had passed, he was unable to cope with what he was told. He could tell himself vehemently that he would not give himself over to the 14th; that he would never allow some alternate being to fully consume him. But how could he possibly know what would happen? And when it did, how would he go about fighting a will that even his own Master believes will eventually overpower him? Would he slowly be eaten away or would he suddenly wake up and not be himself anymore; not even knowing he used to have a life with people in it he cared so deeply about…

"Allen. How long are you planning on staring off into space?"

"S-sorry! Sorry…" Allen stuttered, as he scratched the back of his head, nervously. "I'm just a little distracted. My stomach's growling and all."

"C'mon. I'll go with you, if that's okay. I haven't eaten a meal with you in a while."

"Yeah, that'd be great, Lavi."

"I haven't seen you in a long time, it seems."

"Well, you've only just come back from your mission, right? How was it?"

"Tch. I don't even want to talk about that. But, even before I left a couple of weeks ago I've barely seen you around. Not even in the dining hall. Where've you been holing yourself up?

"Holing myself up? I've been around here. There aren't a lot of places to go since I'm basically under confinement. Komui said that I'd be able to go on another mission soon but that Link would come along with me, of course."

"Oi, who are you talking to? Lenalee and I have both noticed you've been a rare sighting so let's hear it."

"Lenalee…"

"Yeah, Lenalee. When's the last time you talked with her, huh?"

"…"

As they walked the rest of the way to the dining hall in silence, Lavi glanced sidelong at Allen a couple times. There was a look of defeat and sadness on the young man's face such that he didn't know how to follow it up. Even in times of deep despair, when they were up against the most hopeless of situations, Allen always chose to push forward. He gave the rest of them hope when there seemed to be none. But here, at the quiet safety of home, stepping into the dining hall of all places, Lavi could swear that Allen's countenance reflected a battle already fought and lost.

"Jerry, do you ever sleep?" asked Lavi, amazed to see HQ's renowned cook awake and seemingly waiting for them behind the counter.

"You could set a clock to Allen-kun's stomach, Lavi. I pretty much have everything ready for him. I didn't expect to see you, though. What can I get for you?"

"Yakiniku, please! Can't go wrong with that."

"I'll bring everything on over. Have a seat."

Lavi sat down across from Allen and made a show of fussing with his headband and jacket. He could sense that Allen wanted to say something if he was patient enough to wait for it.

Then finally, after several minutes, "How is she doing, Lavi? Lenalee, I mean."

"Oh, I suspect she should be doing okay."

"She…should be…?"

"Well, how do you think she's doing, Allen?"

"I admit I haven't seen her around much lately. I guess she hasn't come back from her mission yet. It's been over two months, though, right? Shouldn't Lenalee be back by now?"

Lavi was careful to learn whether or not Lenalee had told Allen about her plans. When she confided in him, she still had not decided just how many others should know. He had hoped she would at least tell Allen before she left but either there wasn't an opportunity or she had decided against it. But it seemed she hadn't even told him about her "vacation" plans. He could at least relay that much safely.

"Oh I guess maybe the news hasn't made its way around yet. Komui approved Lenalee's vacation request. She left for China directly from her mission. She wanted to take some leisure in getting to know her country better, understandably. I'm surprised you didn't know. I thought Lenalee would tell you when you saw her off for her recent mission."

"I didn't see her off."

"Oh."

"Do you think she's having a good time?"

"Well, she must be, right? She's been there for over a month."

"Has she checked in with Reever-san or Komui?"

"Not that I know of. They know where she's staying but other than that, it's been radio silence. She must really be enjoying it there. Or maybe she just doesn't want to hear Komui nagging her to come home," laughed Lavi.

"Yeah…"

Lavi's curiosity was now piqued. As the successor to Bookman, it came naturally to him. Allen was never overt with his actions but during their harrowing missions together, Allen was never far from Lenalee's side nor was her name far from his lips. He never missed a chance to be of help to her and even when they were home, he went out of his way to greet her. That is, until the past few months. This was quite obvious to Lavi anyway. This new behavior seemed odd to him. "Anyway, I could have sworn Lenalee said she wanted to tell you something before she left. I'm sure it must have been about this. But why didn't you see her off, Allen?"

"I…"

"You were here, weren't you?"

"Yes…"

"Did Two-Dots have you cornered somewhere?"

"No…"

"It doesn't seem like you, Allen…"

"Lavi? Can we leave the interrogations to Link? Just for tonight…"

"I'm sorry, Allen. You're right. Let's just enjoy our meal. Here it comes now."

Jerry rolled out several cartloads of entrees and placed them all on the table: One plate of yakiniku for Lavi and the rest for Allen.

"Itadakimasu!" said Lavi, getting his second wind with the savory aroma of home cooking filling his nostrils. He looked over at Allen who started to eat spoonfuls of his first dish but without the usual aplomb and abandon. That did it. There was definitely something looming over this kid's head and he would be a failure as a friend if he couldn't help Allen share the load. He would have to make sure he accidentally ran into Allen again tomorrow night. But for now, he wished wholeheartedly for Allen to enjoy his midnight snack.

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Revelations Chapter 3**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this is shortly after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order -Asian Branch**

"Wipe that stupid look off your face and stop gloating!"

"I'm not gloating, Fou-san…I'm just…surprised. I didn't expect..."

"Yeah, so you landed a hit. It was just an elbow and I barely felt it. Think you can do it again?"

Without waiting for an answer, Fou charged in. She easily evaded the rapid series of kicks Lenalee delivered. It was a vain attempt to keep her at a certain distance so that Lenalee could still utilize her strongest assets, which were her legs. She had to give it to the girl—there was much improvement in the past two months she'd been here. Lenalee had very specific requests when she first arrived. The first was to build strength and speed in her pre-existing style without the use of her Innocence. The second was to address her weakness in close combat and hand to hand fighting. She was being trained in the latter today. But with this eventual combination of styles, even Fou had to admit this girl might be a formidable opponent.

Lenalee remembered how helpless she felt when fighting Eshi, the level 3 akuma. She had to risk everything in order to defeat him because she could not match him in close combat. If it wasn't for her Innocence crystallizing and encapsulating her, the victory would have cost Lenalee her life. But even now, Lenalee couldn't help but think that, had she known how to defeat Eshi sooner, faster, maybe…just maybe…Anita-san and more of the crew could have survived that night.

Lenalee's head rocked back as she received an uppercut to the chin, pulling her out of her preoccupation. Before she could collect herself, she caught a glimpse of Fou's spinning backhand the second before it landed across her right cheek. Lenalee was back on the familiar concrete floor, prone.

Fou loomed over her, hands on her hips, "Your eyes lost focus. I saw it. You think your enemies will wait until you're done daydreaming before they get serious with you?"

"N-no, of course not." It was already hurting to speak. Lenalee quickly closed her mouth.

"I won't either, little girl. Get up. When you're inches away from your opponent, you cannot square up to them, do you understand? Your body has to be shielded more than ever at that point because your reaction time is reduced due to proximity. Your shoulders and hips must be turned to the side. You cannot expose your torso. When you are changing stances, your midline must always be guarded." Fou proceed to move Lenalee's arms into position, her left arm guarding her upper body, her right arm guarding her lower body. Another important reason your body must be turned is because it is the rotation of your body that is the source of your power. You don't have a lot of room to follow through or prepare so it is the force of your rotation that will determine the strength of your attack. Is this making any sense to you?"

Lenalee nodded.

"Again."

Lenalee put her hands up the way Fou showed her moments before. When Fou spun to avoid Lenalee's kick, she was only inches from her face once again. Lenalee blocked the succession of punches that came at lightning speed. Her arms were getting bruised from absorbing the blows but had she taken any one of them in the chest, she would have been spitting up blood. Lenalee twisted her body in the same direction as Fou's left hook and then pushed her shoulder up against the still swinging upper arm, causing Fou to take a moment to reposition herself from being forced into an awkward position. That opportunity was all Lenalee needed to bring her left knee up, landing it just under Fou's ribcage.

The Guardian teetered back and as her breath rushed out of her lungs, forcibly evacuated by Lenalee's knee.

"You weren't…supposed to use…your bony…knees!" gasped Fou, gingerly holding her side.

"I rotated my shoulders to block and turned my pelvis to land that blow so I was still following the lesson," replied Lenalee who was herself breathing hard and squinting the sweat from her eyes. "Besides, why should I limit my options?"

That earned an unfriendly, narrowed glare from Fou. But she didn't negate it either. After a moment, she relaxed her posture and expression.

"It's midnight. Session's over. You still okay with the 12 hour training? We can go back to 8 if you're not feeling up to it."

"12 hours is fine. Thank you for helping me, Fou-san," Lenalee said sincerely, finally relaxing from her defensive stance.

"All I know is I better not get another one waltzing in from HQ after you're done. I should have quit after babysitting Walker."

Lenalee slumped to the floor, feeling the last of her energy slip out of her. She bowed her head and spoke in a tone as if she were talking to herself. Fou crouched down closer and had to strain to hear what she was saying.

"He learned a lot from you, Fou-san."

"Damn right, he did."

"It wasn't just the training. When he came back to us after his stay here, he was so much stronger, in every way. He was almost a different person. I mean, he was still Allen….but just more…I don't know. I thought I was strong but compared to him, I was just a child; crying all the time, thinking about the worst outcomes, being undependable. And to think I'm the older one." Lenalee shook her head. "Anyway, I think you must have had that kind of effect on him, Fou-san. He led us forward and he never gave up and he wouldn't let us give up either. You would have been proud of him."

"Get those bruises looked after. I'll see you at noon tomorrow," Fou replied evenly as she stood up. With that, she turned and walked away, back toward the Gate. Lenalee wondered if she had said something wrong but as she was about to get up, Fou stopped in her tracks several paces away and just barely turned her face back toward Lenalee.

"I was proud of him before he left."

With that, Fou kept walking. Lenalee smiled. It hurt to, but she smiled.

"Lenalee-san!"

"Good evening, Wong. I was just going to go look for you."

"I figured I'd come to you knowing you're on a schedule. Looks like you're improving."

"Oh, did you watch the session?"

"No, but your injuries are becoming less and less prominent, if that's any indication."

"I guess it is," she replied with a smile.

"Lenalee-saaaan!" cried a female voice.

As Wong was dressing her cuts and bruises, she looked past his shoulders to see a young girl running towards them. "Hi, Lou Fa-chan. Are you done with work?"

It had been this way for the past month. Lou Fa would meet up with Lenalee after her daily training to share a meal or just walk with her and chat if that's what time allowed. Wong was initially perturbed about the idea of someone other than Branch Chief Bak or the head staff knowing she was here but seeing that Lou Fa was discreet about it and greatly enjoyed Lenalee's company, he became comfortable with the idea. Indeed he felt better that Lenalee had someone to spend time with outside of her training. The first month she was here, it seemed to him that all she would do was train, eat, and sleep; only exchanging pleasantries with himself or Bak-sama. He hoped that having a friend in Lou Fa would help Lenalee to feel more at home here.

"Here," said Wong, handing Lenalee a bag of ice. "You should keep that on your cheek every other hour to hold the swelling down."

"Thank you, Wong, as always."

"Of course. Please get some rest."

Lenalee nodded and let Lou Fa slip her arm though hers as they walked toward her room. When she met Lou Fa in the hallway a month ago, Lenalee never imagined it would so quickly turn into the friendship that it had already. Lenalee had come to adore her as a little sister she never had. Lou Fa happily chatted about her day at work and the new projects she was helping with through research and testing. Invariably, she would ask Lenalee about her duties as an Exorcist and to recount another one of her adventures. Many of the stories included Allen and Lenalee never failed to notice how Lou Fa's face would sweetly brighten at the mention of his name.

Tonight, as Lou Fa helped to eat the chocolate cake Wong had delivered to her room, Lenalee told the story of how Miranda Lotto came to join their ranks as an Exorcist. It made her chest tighten as she thought of how she hadn't seen Miranda in over two months and how much she missed her; how much she missed everyone back at home. Lou Fa inquired as to whether that was her first mission with Allen since it seemed to date back close to the time when Allen first arrived at the Black Order. Lou Fa had an incredible memory, noted Lenalee, as she was able to retain the date and details of the story she told previously about how Allen first came to HQ as well as how Kanda came very close to ending his journey right there on the doorstep.

"Yes, that was my first mission with Allen-kun."

"He must have been nervous, huh?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I guess I would be in his situation. You're a very strong person and he was just starting out so I imagine he might have been a little…I don't know…intimidated."

"Well, his first mission was with Kanda so any intimidation to be had was most likely taken in large doses there," giggled Lenalee.

"Poor Walker-san."

"Although, I can't say that I treated him too well myself."

"I am sure you were as nice as you could be, Lenalee-san."

"Does slapping someone across the face count as being nice?"

"You…slapped Walker-san?" asked Lou Fa in disbelief.

"He deserved it at the time, you have to trust me. It took me a while to forgive him for it, too. He just took the entire burden on himself and he tried to shut me out. As a fellow Exorcist, it offended me. But as his friend, it hurt me more. If I can't fight beside him and help him, then what good am I, right?"

"Lenalee-san…"

"Well, that goes for all of my friends," said Lenalee, rather quickly.

Lou Fa just looked up at Lenalee with her last forkful of cake hanging in the air, never having made it to its intended destination.

To Be Continued


	4. Chapter 4

**Revelations Chapter 4**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order - Headquarters****:**** Supervisor Komui's Office**

"_Listen, you Sister Complex, get someone else to do your stalking. Why don't you ask that moyashi of yours since he's sitting on his ass right now doing nothing?"_

"But, Kanda, you're just a hop, skip, and a jump away.* Now that you're done with your mission, can't you just take a little boat ride over and make sure she's okay for me before coming home? Pretty pleeeeaaaaaase?"

*Click*

"Hello? Kanda-kun?"

With a sigh, Komui hung up the phone and slumped in his chair, ideas whirring in his one track mind. _I suppose it wouldn't technically be called a "mission," eh, Allen-kun…? _

**Black Order: Headquarters**

-Allen Walker's Quarters—

"And remember that one lovely girl from the village in China - the one at the parasol store? She had the smoothest skin, didn't she, Allen?"

"Y-yes, she did, Lavi," replied Allen as confidently as he could, considering the subject matter. By this time, he had pulled the covers up to his nose in hopes of hiding his bright red cheeks.

"Ooh, and the one from the lo mein shop…her legs were very long and lean, weren't they Allen?"

"For the love of all that is holy, will you two stop this immediately?" cried Howard Link, who was now sitting upright on his bed roll. "This is quite untoward for two Exorcists to be discussing women so unabashedly…and at such an infernal hour!"

"Now, now, Two-dots, you have to remember, I'm a Bookman first. Besides, it's my job to be observant. I can't help but notice these things."

"You can call me Inspector Link, let me remind you. And Lavi, you are a certifiable masher! However, it's you, Walker, who has surprised me. Lavi is a lost cause but I never expected this sort of behavior from you."

"I…I'm…" stuttered Allen, completely mortified. The covers were now over his head.

"What do you want from the boy, Two-dots? You have him occupied all day…this is the only time he has to talk to his friends about natural things. Be a sport and join in. You might learn something."

"That does it! I refuse to be party to this. Walker and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow and I need my sleep. If you insist on doing this into all hours of the night then do it somewhere else or I will find another room!"

Lavi just looked at Link and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

"Incorrigible!" continued Link, " I'm going to find an empty room on the lower level. However, Walker, I will be back at 7:00am sharp; whether you get 4 hours of sleep or even less is not my concern." With that, Link picked up his bedroll in one fell swoop and walked out of the room, mumbling about decency's decline.

They let a few moments pass, listening to Link's footfalls as they passed farther down into the hall.

"See, Allen, it didn't take too long for him to get fed up and leave."

"Laaavi, did you have to get so graphic?" pleaded Allen, as he finally emerged from the covers.

"Haha! Look at you! You're still beet red. You need to relax about these things. Besides, the plan worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, but my reputation is paying the price."

Lavi's jovial expression left his face and he sat down at the foot of Allen's bed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That guy thinks that you're a tool of the 14th who will eventually turn on us and you're worried about soiling your gentlemanly reputation?"

"I guess when you put it that way…wait! How do you know, Lavi?" Allen exclaimed as he sat up immediately.

Lavi turned to face him, his eyebrows furrowed in genuine concern and sympathy.

"I guess there's bound to be a lot of rumors floating around, huh?" asked Allen, almost rhetorically. Although he made the effort to distance himself from everyone in the past several months, he noticed it wasn't met with too much resistance either. Allen looked down at his hands which were folded onto his lap.

"Yes, there are rumors. But that's all they are. No one knows exactly what's going on. However, how and what I know came from the source."

Allen raised his head and looked at Lavi, puzzled.

"I was in another room, listening to the recorded conversation you were having with General Cross. Leverrier, Komui, and Bookman were also there. I heard everything he said about the 14th instilling his memories into you."

Lavi was waiting for some kind of response but Allen didn't say a word.

"Allen," Lavi continued, "I'm sorry. We were asked to be in the room and witness the conversation. I didn't feel good about it but..."

"I'm glad, Lavi," Allen interjected. "Actually I feel a little relieved that you know. It's been a little much holding it in."

"Exactly! You're not alone in this. You're not supposed to know that I know but I can see what you're trying to do. Pulling away from us isn't the answer, Allen. If anything, you have to stay closer to us than ever. You have to engage in your own life."

"Lenalee...?"

Lavi understood what Allen was asking just by his tone.

"She doesn't know. I haven't said a word. She doesn't understand why you're being put under surveillance. She doesn't know why you've avoided her for two months before she left for her mission. I didn't know you hadn't seen her off like you normally would. That means you haven't seen her for almost five months now…"

"I see Lenalee almost every night."

"Huh?"

"For a long time now, I have had this dream almost every night. I see Lenalee in the reflection of a large lake. She's surrounded by ruins. They look like the ruins of our old headquarters but more than anything, it just feels like our home has crumbled to the ground. She's crying uncontrollably, all alone, Lavi, and I want to go to her. I want to help her. But as I move forward, I see someone else's face in my reflection. He stops me and says I cannot go. The lake freezes over until and I can't see Lenalee anymore. I usually wake up then, struggling with my own reflection that isn't me. But more and more, I feel like I recognize that reflection. It is the same face I saw when I was in the Ark, in the secret room. It's the same face that follows me around. I can't shake him and yet, I've grown used to him, though I don't want to be. And now, even in my waking hours, he says I cannot go to her. He holds me back. And I feel like I'm losing sight of her."

"Allen…"

"I don't want to hurt her, Lavi…"

"In this dream…is it completely devoid of sound?"

"Yes…"

"The moon is black in the sky and Lenalee is sitting atop the rubble of the ruins, crying."

"Y-yes…how did you…"

"Lenalee has the same dream almost every night. She told me before she left."

"That's impossible," said Allen, almost to himself, as his hands began to ball up, gradually bunching the covers in his fists.

"She said the only way she could cope after having that dream was seeing you alive and well, doing what you normally do every day."

"I-I didn't know…"

"Do you really think that pulling away from us will help you?"

"You heard what my master said to me, Lavi. He said I would eventually be overtaken by the 14th; that I wouldn't be me anymore."

"I also heard you say that you wouldn't let that happen."

"It's getting harder everyday to keep my promise to Mana. Link reminds me every minute of what supposedly awaits me."

"That's why you have to stay connected! You have to stay close, Allen. We'll remind you of who you really are."

"I'm afraid that I'll hurt someone. Master said…that I would kill someone I loved once I turned. I don't know what that means but I would never be able to live with myself if I…"

"It hurts us more that you're not with us. And you're acting like it's already happened or something. I heard the conviction in your voice that night, Allen, and I believed you. You said you wouldn't let the 14th have you. And if the 14th doesn't have you, then you won't hurt anyone you love. Am I right?"

"I already feel better talking to you about it," said Allen, as he smiled weakly. It was a sensation he hadn't felt since moving headquarters over to the new building. "I feel better than I have in the last few months. Thank you for reminding me."

"Then don't you want to see Lenalee, too?"

"I...I miss her."

"She's going to punch you, you know."

"I know."

"She should be home soon."

"I guess with the Earl still recovering from losing the Egg, it's the calm before the storm. Now is the best time for her to take a break."

"I've been here over 2 years and this is the first time Lenalee's been away from headquarters this long. From what Komui has mentioned, she has never been gone this long since she was brought here. You can imagine he's going crazy right now."

"Have you heard from her? Do you think she's all right?"

"I haven't spoken to her since she left."

"I need to find her. I need to talk with her."

Lavi smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear you say that, Allen."

Suddenly, Timcanpy, who had been in low power mode atop the bureau next to Allen's bed, whirred into activity. Komui's voice then emitted out of Timcanpy's transmitter.

"Allen-kun…I heard from Inspector Link that you were awake. He was rather adamant about it. Could you come to my office for a moment, please?"

"Timcanpy, will you go on ahead so he knows I'm coming? I'll be there in a minute after getting dressed."

"I'll go with you, Allen. Komui being up this late means he's hatching ideas and that gives me the creeps."

Allen chuckled as he opened the door for Timcanpy and then reached over to put on his coat and shoes.

**Black Order -Headquarters**

-Outside Supervisor Komui's Office—

"Well, what did he want?" asked Lavi, leaning against the railing. "It can't be good."

"He wants me to 'retrieve' Lenalee," replied Allen, lost in thought.

"'Retrieve'?"

"He said that she has gone over her vacation time request but because she's incommunicado, there's no way to recall her. So, as her friend, I should do her a favor and just go pick her up. She's at an Inn in Guangzhou," said Allen, almost in a reverie, holding out a piece of paper with the coordinates. "I am to leave tomorrow."

"You okay, Allen? You seem a little dazed."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just…I get to see Lenalee," he said and smiled. Then scratching the back of his head he said, "I hope she won't be mad that I'm disturbing her vacation."

Lavi sighed and put his arm over Allen's shoulder as he walked him back to his room. "Yeah…about that…there's something I need to tell you."

To Be Continued

* * *

Note: *I changed Kanda's location from Portugal (from Chapter 2) to the Philippines here so that his proximity would make more sense in regards to Komui's request. Sorry, I hadn't thought far enough ahead on this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Revelations Chapter 5**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order: Asian Branch**

Lenalee cradled Allen's lifeless body. _No…not again…I don't want to see this! ALLEN-KUUUUN! _But, as ever before, her soul-wrenching scream was lost in the soundless vacuum of her dreamscape. Somewhere she could hear the distant, intermittent echo of water droplets and sometimes the muted thud of her own heartbeat. But the overwhelming sound was of nothingness; a heavy, malignant silence so massive she could feel it hanging oppressively over her. The emptiness was its own entity, closing in around her, threatening to crush her with its sheer weight. Her long, futile scream finally ended after what seemed like an eternity and once again she dared to turn her eyes down upon the body resting on her lap. Allen's hood was over his head but where his face should have been, she saw only an empty, swirling void. No eyes, no nose, no mouth; just a melting whirlpool of darkness. Allen's left arm, which had been dangling limply at his side, was now slowly beginning to erode away in pieces, disintegrating. Lenalee took in another breath of air to scream when she thought she heard a voice resonating above her…

"_Lenalee…I have to go…I have to go to her…"_

"Allen-kun…?"

Lenalee looked up into the sky and thought she saw someone's outline in the looming black clouds but the sky began to turn into frost, then solid ice, and all light and darkness quickly closed off to a pinpoint until she could see no more.

Her eyes flew open and Lenalee found herself staring at the pale white ceiling of her small room. Her face was still wet with the tears she had shed when sharp pieces of her dream had penetrated into reality. As many times as she had experienced this same awakening, she was always deeply affected as if it was the first time.

_I'm so tired of crying. Of grieving again and again, _she thought to herself_. I just needed to know that you are all right, Allen-kun. But you won't tell me. You won't show me. So… I will just have to make sure that you're all right. I won't be made to stand by and watch something happen to you. Never again._

Lenalee wiped the sleep and sadness from her eyes and rousted herself out of bed. 7:00 am – enough time for breakfast and some conditioning before meeting up with Fou at noon. Going into her 10th week of training, she could palpably feel her brother's over-protective hand reaching for her, ready to yank her back. She would have to return home very soon or else she'd be found out, but not before she had a better grasp of her current techniques. The urgency of needing to return was always mitigated by the feeling that there was more she could learn, more she could improve, more she could harness and strengthen. Always more. But she missed her brother, her comrades, and especially…

_*Knock knock knock*_

"Lenalee-san? I'm sorry but are you awake?"

"Yes, just a minute…"

Lenalee eased into her slippers and opened the door, recognizing the voice.

"Good morning, Lou Fa-chan. I didn't expect to see you so early. Did you want to have breakfast together?"

Lou Fa giggled.

"What's so funny?" asked Lenalee.

"Your morning hair."

"Oh! Well, it can't be perfect all the time, can it?" Lenalee retorted, embarrassed but cheerful. She tried to pat the stray bits into place right then and there.

"Anyway, as much as I would like to have breakfast with you, I'm actually kind of late for work already but I wanted to stop by and drop something off."

"Come on inside, if you'd like."

"It'll be quick, I promise."

Lou Fa stepped inside and pulled out a small, black, drawstring pouch from her lab coat pocket. "The whole time that you've been here, you've never gone out or done anything but train so I thought you might like this. I got it when I went to the marketplace this past weekend. Who knows, it may even help a little bit," she said as she handed the pouch to Lenalee.

When she opened it, Lenalee found a single silver clasp barrette affixed with three amethyst stones.

"Lou Fa-chan…"

"Your hair has been getting longer and it might help keep some of it away from your eyes while you train. Besides, I thought the little stones matched your eyes."

Lenalee held the barrette in her hand. The last time she received something so lovely, she fought a hard won battle, willing to give her life away in the process. She thought of Anita and Mahoja-san and all those who gave their lives to help her and her comrades. The emotions began to well up and threatened to overflow.

"I-If you don't like it, I can take it back…"

"No. It's beautiful. Forgive me; I just didn't know what to say. I will wear it and think of all your hard work and dedication here, Lou Fa-chan. And I will fight to protect that."

Lou Fa blushed as she watched Lenalee clip up her long bangs along with the right side of her chin length hair.

"It's perfect," whispered Lenalee, as she reached over to hug Lou Fa. "Thank you for being my friend."

Though Lou Fa was surprised by the gesture, she accepted the warmth of it and reciprocated.

"Well, I better be off. I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is," she said as she smiled broadly, leaving Lenalee to get prepare for her day. "I'll see you for our usual late night dessert session after your training tonight."

"Mm," said Lenalee, with a nod.

For a few moments, Lenalee stood in front of her closed door, staring at the knob and gently running her fingers along the amethyst stones of her barrette. For over two months, Lou Fa eagerly inquired about and listened to Lenalee's stories of her time as an Exorcist with the Black Order, up to and including the most recent attack on Headquarters. Many times, she had to convince Lou Fa that her work as a scientist provided the Exorcists with the valuable tools with which to succeed, as did the Finders, each time affirming Lou Fa's hopes of making a difference as well as Lenalee's own desire to never feel helpless with regards to protecting those for whom she cared. In many ways, Lou Fa reinforced her motivation in being here.

Lenalee even told her about her time at the Black Order when she was an unwilling resident; that there were days when she not only tried to run away but that she had to be put on suicide watch because of her sheer desperation to be out of that place in any way possible, even if it meant taking her own life. But they just bandaged her wrists and then tied her down for fear of harming herself further or escaping. Lou Fa's eyes were like saucers at this recollection, voicing her disbelief that Lenalee was ever in such a disposition. She relayed that It was only when her brother came to stay with her and she began to make her friends whom she considered family, that she was no longer the little girl who cried in bed all day. She now had a reason to live and people to live for and she hoped Lou Fa-chan would find that reason to live if she hadn't already.

And so, invariably, the conversations often included Allen. But at every mention of him, Lou Fa's very countenance would change and Lenalee was quick in catching it. And with every mention of Allen, Lenalee's heart ached with worry and doubt. She didn't bother mentioning that, in the two months before she left for her mission, Allen would often turn down another hall when seeing her walking down the main corridor towards him or say a compulsory greeting and leave the dining area when she entered. It hurt so much to see him walk away from her.

There were moments she considered giving him good slap to knock some sense into him but she felt that they were beyond that, or at least she had hoped they were. So she tried to pursue conversations with him but they were to no avail. He always had some sort of excuse and that man who came with Inspector Leverrier was always with him. She knew something was bothering Allen but he seemed intent on keeping it to himself. With each passing day, she felt the distance growing, being forced upon her, becoming like a gulf between them. She had been able to confide in Lavi and though he admitted to feeling the same chasm growing, if he knew why it was happening, he never said a word about it.

As she pulled herself out of her thoughts and started getting ready for her long day, she made two decisions simultaneously:

She also had a choice and she wasn't going to let Allen dictate her actions toward him. She would not give up on him. Once she returned back to Headquarters, she resolved to let open a barrage of appearances before him such that he could not ignore or escape. The guy could only excuse himself to the restroom so many times. And when he came out, she'd be there.

Subsequently, she would have faith in him; that the old Allen would return to them, _to her,_ as he had always done before, even in midst of their darkest hour. And when he did, she would be there, waiting for him.

When Lenalee stepped into Branch Chief Bak's office for breakfast, she found him on the phone. Her new resolve in the decisions she made caused her to smile wholeheartedly at Bak which then made him turn around and finish his phone call, knees and hands shaking perceptively. After a few hushed whispers, Bak hung up the phone.

"Would you like some coffee, Bak-san?" asked Lenalee.

"N-no thank you, Lenalee. I'm having some tea."

"Are you all right? You seem….pale."

"That was Lavi on the phone. Komui has asked for your retrieval. They've already landed and will arrive here this evening. Seems your time with us is up."

Lenalee dropped her mug.

To Be Continued

* * *

Note – Just wanted to say thanks (belated) to the reviews and comments and just for reading, period. The encouragement has been incredible. This chapter felt a little rushed but I wanted one more before the actual "meeting." Will do better next time….


	6. Chapter 5 Point 5

**Revelations Chapter 5.5***

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**En route via Coach to Black Order – Asian Branch**

Allen sighed, sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed, slowly being lulled to sleep by the motion of the enclosed carriage. The steady clopping sound of the horse hooves relaxed him as they seemed the very metronome of travel. Unfortunately he could almost feel the electric waves of tension sparking between the other two people in the carriage with him.

"Explain to me why you're here again, Lavi?" asked Inspector Link with a twinge of annoyance at the edge of each word.

"I don't need to have a reason to accompany any Exorcist. I am merely here to witness and record the history of the Black Order," replied Lavi, in an even tone.

"Seeing how this field trip is of a personal nature on behalf of Supervisor Komui, I don't see how it has anything to do with what the Bookmen would care to record."

"Well, since it is a trip of a personal nature, as you've said, I could ask why the Pope would have any interest in having his lackey follow someone who was merely sent to go pick someone else up."

"You two are like a couple of bickering harpies," interjected Allen.

"You stay out of this!" cried both Lavi and Link simultaneously at Allen.

As they continued to shoot sparks at each other silently, Allen closed his eyes and thought about what he was going to say to Lenalee when he finally saw her. It had been over 5 months since their last meeting. It was innocuous enough, their last few days of contact; they were helping each other relocate to the new headquarters. There were some mishaps along the way what with some of the Science Department's past experiments emerging from their deep and forgotten places and actually affecting those who came in contact with them. But in the end, it was light and fun, with no worries of akuma or the Earl since he was dealt such a debilitating blow. Not that the Exorcists and the staff didn't suffer their share of losses either. But when everyone's injuries were healed and peace was bidden to the dead, moving boxes and equipment seemed like such a mundane task. Those were halcyon days and Allen soaked them up as much as he could. He had spent many hours in the dining hall with everyone, chatting, joking, laughing, reminiscing, and sometimes debating the future of Innocence in relation to their hosts as seen with his and Lenalee's synchronization.

Being surrounded by his friends was a balm to his spirit but it was always Lenalee's smile, her reassuring touch on his shoulder or hand, how she protected him and also kept him accountable that truly engaged him in the healing process. The new headquarters was foreign and cold at first but with every smile she gave him, every shared glance, every note of her lilting laughter, he knew it didn't matter where he was; if Lenalee was there, it would feel like home. But then that night when he was suddenly taken into custody and escorted into a room to meet with his Master, everything changed. The last thing he remembered of his old life was looking over his shoulder to reassure everyone that things would be okay, only to see Lenalee looking after him with such panicked concern that she had to be restrained from following after him. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to see that kind of expression on Lenalee's lovely face for a while longer…he had hoped that he wouldn't be the one to ever cause it.

Allen's thoughts went to when he had finally returned to them from the Asian Branch, just in time to keep the Earl from absconding with Lenalee. He hadn't noticed that Lenalee's hair was so short or that her legs were wrapped up. He was, in that moment, only concerned about her survival. But, when they were finally able to take some respite under the bridge to plan their next step, Allen asked Lavi what he had meant when he said not to worry about Lenalee's loss of consciousness because "it had happened before." In those few spare moments Lavi conveyed the events following their discovery of Timcanpy and how they were led to the area where Allen had last been seen and recorded.

Lavi had a hard time retelling that story himself without re-living it but what was more difficult to hear was of Lenalee's reaction to the traces of blood on the forest floor and his disappearance. With his mind, Lavi recorded every moment with a Bookman's efficiency and detail, as if Timcanpy himself had recorded it visually. Lenalee had blamed herself for Allen's fate and, as a result, flung herself into battle, fighting with the fierce determination that might lead her to be forgiven for her part in Allen's death, somehow. Lavi was beside himself as to how to help her out of her self-seclusion. As she plunged into the depths to fight the level 3, Lavi said that the last thing he had seen was the look of resignation in Lenalee's eyes as she seemed to be accepting whatever fate awaited her. When she had miraculously returned to them, all of her extremities had been scorched by the intensity of her own attack and her Innocence no longer synchronous to her. To save her friends, to save her world, she had thrown herself away.

He understood her fully. Just as she had said back in the ark while Lavi went to make sure Rhode's door was still there; she would do everything in her power to save her friends as well if she were in Allen's place. She understood him fully then as well. But how would she react now if she were to know what lay in store for him?

Would she react by throwing herself into trying to help him? What if that resulted in her being hurt or even killed? The thought made Allen's chest constrict. His master's words again echoed in his mind…

His immediate answer back then was to stop caring. Pull away and stop caring. Then it wouldn't need to happen. It was an immature, knee-jerk response; a tidy theory to solve a morbid prophecy.

Were he to be fully overtaken by the 14th, what would happen to his memory of her? Would she be ripped away from him as if she never existed? In pulling away from her by his own choice, he was selfishly trying to minimize that pain by preparing for the worst.

Selfish. That's what Lenalee had called him that day as they were about to board the train in search of his master. She reminded him that risking his life unnecessarily was actually being thoughtless of those who cared for him because they would be left to grieve him and forever mourn his loss. Not only that, he was excluding her by taking the burden on himself. Hearing Lavi's account of Lenalee's actions with the level 3 out in the open ocean, wasn't she guilty of doing the very same thing? They must both be selfish, he surmised.

But he had been sincerely remorseful for hurting her then. He would never forget the expression on her face when he shouted at her for stopping him. It was a mix of indignation and heartbreak, her eyes brimming with tears. He had robbed her of a choice when he decided to take matters in his own hands and thereby excluded her. History was repeating itself. He executed his plan of pulling away without telling her why. She deserved to know what was happening and maybe she might actually agree with his course of action. He decided he would be honest with her for as long as he was Allen Walker. And he intended to remain Allen Walker until the day he couldn't move forward anymore.

"Are we there yet? We've been heading north for almost the entire day now," lamented Lavi, looking out of the window at the vast open expanse of dead grassland as far as the eye could see.

"We're approaching the Gate now," replied Link.

"Huh?"

"The Northern Sector of the Asian Branch is entirely underground. How could you not know that, being such a knowledgeable Bookman?" prodded Link.

"Don't start with me, Two-dots. The first and only time I've been here, I didn't really come in through the front door, you know? Oi, Allen," said Lavi, elbowing him in the ribs, "wake up, we're here."

As they rode on, the ground beneath them began to sink into a descending spiral, which then began to rise back up to ground level behind them in smaller sections. Finally, several hundred feet below ground, their path leveled out and the carriage stopped.

The anticipation of seeing Lenalee was mixed with a quiet dread. His heart beat faster and faster as he swung open the door.

* * *

To Be Continued

*Note – I thought this chapter would be when Lenalee and Allen finally met up but when I started writing it, this is what came out so I just went with it. Seemed Allen had some thoughts that needed to be expressed before seeing her, lol. Anyway, sorry for the psyche-out. I labeled it Chapter 5.5 since it's a bit shorter than usual and is somewhat of a lead-in to Chapter 6 Will try to post the next chapter within a few days. Thanks again for reading and commenting!


	7. Chapter 6

**Revelations Chapter 6**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch**

"What do you mean we have to go to Guangzhou before going back to headquarters?" asked Link, puzzled.

Allen, Lavi, and Inspector Link were all in Branch Chief Bak's office after Wong had escorted them there from their carriage and through the byzantine corridors of the lower level.

"Well, you see, Inspector, Lenalee is sort of supposed to be in Guangzhou…not here," explained Bak, from behind his desk, sitting down with his hands folded atop some paperwork.

Link crossed his legs slowly and his face became placid and professional. "You'd better start from the beginning, Branch Chief Bak. If there's some subterfuge going on, it's best to be upfront about it and in great detail."

Lavi turned his head slightly from where he was sitting next to Link and gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Allen who was leaning against the back wall due to there being only two chairs for guests. That was his cue. When Wong had led them to the office and took his leave, he left the door slightly ajar instead of closing it completely, allowing Allen to slip out without turning the knob. As Wong had excused himself, he mentioned very nonchalantly that he needed to return as soon as possible to the training arena to help care for the students of the last class. This was all Allen needed to hear in order to know where Lenalee was and he thanked Wong silently for passing the information with great care and discretion.

Before they had left Headquarters, Allen and Lavi agreed that, once they arrived at the Asian Branch, Link would have to be told the truth since there was no doubt that he would accompany them. There was no way around their needing to go back to Guangzhou not only to retrieve Lenalee's golem but to also continue the ruse that she was there. Once Allen received the personal request from Komui and found out the shocking truth from Lavi as to Lenalee's actual whereabouts, he told Link right away, changing only the detail of the destination. Then, perhaps hearing the whole story from Bak, someone of position and authority relative to him and Lavi, Link may even agree it was best for Lenalee to come and train here. At least that was the plan. Bak had agreed with Lavi about it during the phone call made to announce they had landed in China and they'd be arriving at the Branch shortly. It was the best option they had short of Komui finding out. The reveal would also be the necessary diversion that Allen would need to slip out and find Lenalee herself. Lavi insisted that he be the one to find her and inform her of their plans, especially since they hadn't spoken to each other in so long. Allen couldn't find any reason to argue.

He knew the archways and winding corridors very well. Having trained and lived here himself, it brought back bittersweet memories. The training was the hardest he had ever done in his life and knowing Lenalee was putting herself through it purposefully put a knot in his stomach. Fou would not be easy on her and Lenalee wouldn't want her to be. Allen navigated his way toward the training arena in the most straightforward way he could remember, his palms getting clammier with each step he took. He would finally be seeing Lenalee. He found himself hoping that the first words out of his mouth wouldn't be something stupid.

**Black Order – Asian Branch: Arena**

After Lenalee heard that Komui and Lavi were on their way to get her and take her home, she cleaned up the broken pieces of the coffee cup she had dropped, apologized to Bak-san, and ran as fast as she could to the training area. She needed to take advantage of what little time was left. When she arrived, Fou was already waiting for her.

"I'm not going to lie. When Bak told me you were coming, I hated the idea of baby-sitting yet another one of you, " stated Fou, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at Lenalee, "but you never gave up or complained. I pushed you and you got back up. You're almost as stubborn as Walker. Maybe more."

"Fou-san, I can't repay you enough for all the knowledge you've entrusted me with. I only have a few more hours left. What else can I learn?" asked Lenalee impatiently.

"Sit down," said Fou, pointing to a spot right in front her as she herself sat down, cross-legged.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk..."

"SIT. DOWN."

She noted that Fou's tone of voice was now the same one she always used while training so Lenalee didn't hesitate to follow suit.

"Now…close your eyes. Relax your arms and rest them on your knees. Spine straight. Lower your chin slightly so that your spine and neck are aligned. Good. Now breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Deeper."

Lenalee felt her pulse start to slow down as her skin began to feel warm and the tight muscles around her neck, shoulder, and thighs loosen.

"This is the last thing I will teach you. You need to calm the hell down."

Lenalee felt one corner of her mouth turn up into a smile and then she quickly went back to the even breathing.

"This is true whether it's before a fight, during, and even after. You need to center yourself. If you let your emotions get out of control, you will lose said control and then you may actually hurt yourself and others instead of helping them. It is your responsibility to stay as level-headed and calm as possible. From within this state is where you'll be the most effective whether it's problem solving or countering a physical attack. Regardless of how determined you are, if your head isn't on straight, you will just get in the way."

Lenalee knew that Fou was right. Running into a fight has never had the intended outcome. Usually, it would end up putting herself in danger in place of someone else or even causing more problems.

"Breathe deeply using your diaphragm. Feel your waist expand, not your chest. Good. I'm not going to tell you to empty your head of everything. I don't know what idiot started that idea but that's not it. Think about the things you enjoy; the things that make you happy; the things that are important to you. But don't let it just burn a hole in your heart; try to remember cerebrally why they are important to you. You must bridge the two so the heart and mind think and feel in unison. The heart must also think, the mind must also feel. Each keeps the other accountable. Without one, the other is incomplete."

Lenalee began to parse the emotions in her heart and think on why they had made a home there. She heard a shuffling sound from in front of her and realized that Fou was getting up.

"No…keep your eyes closed. Keep meditating," said Fou before Lenalee could react.

Lenalee did as she was told but then she felt the sensation of Fou's hand hovering above her head. Even though she was tempted to see what was happening, she kept focused and controlled her breathing. That's when she felt a few light pats on her head, the last one lingering for several moments, before she felt Fou pull her hand away. Lenalee heard her footsteps and knew that she was receding back toward the Gate.

Meditating was not something new to Lenalee. She had been aware of Kanda practicing this on many occasions since they were young and even tried to join him once, though she was only trying to escape Leverrier's presence. But she never understood the motivation behind the ritual and often thought maybe Kanda did it just to justify not having to be bothered by anyone. But if Kanda was doing this for the same reason, she could understand how he never seemed to fly off the handle during battles, but instead was calculating and calm. Now, if only he would practice being calm when it came to Allen-kun…

Lenalee's eyes flew open for a moment as she thought of Allen. He seemed to always pervade her thoughts when she last expected it. While she was thinking of other people, other situations, related thoughts of him would often come to the forefront of her mind, even unbidden. She thought about why it was that happened so often. He was a dear friend, that much was certain. But it was his face, his voice that was always orbiting her heart, if not colliding with it. And now, she had to somehow connect the two…

Lenalee felt the presence behind her before she heard the purposefully muffled footsteps. Had that much time passed already or were they early? She opened her eyes and sighed.

"Nii-san…before you go blaming anyone, you should know it was all my idea…" she started to say as she stood and turned around to face what she had hoped to avoid for the past few months.

Allen tried to take everything in quickly so that he wouldn't hesitate. Be it five months or five days, seeing Lenalee always managed to put a hitch in his breath with a dose of nervousness, whether at home or in the field. He would always recover quickly either with a smile or a neutral greeting but he didn't know what to do in this unusual situation. What was that about him not saying anything stupid?

Lenalee was wearing a dark green, sleeveless qipao*, no doubt to give her the best range of movement in her arms and shoulders. The side slits of her dress went to her hips to give the same freedom of movement to her legs; her pants made of a light pink cotton material, cinched off at the ankles with dark green ribbon ties. It was the first time he had seen her in her native attire. But it was her hair that caught his attention the most. It was almost at shoulder length now and it painfully reminded him of just how long he had pushed her away.

"Allen…kun?" Lenalee spoke first, though it was almost a whisper.

She had only seen who it was from the shoulders down. Allen's face was hidden in the shadows of the hall and archways that opened up into the arena. But she didn't need to see the rest of him to know who it was. He wasn't wearing his Exorcist's uniform but his English attire of boots, fitted wool pants, fitted vest, dress shirt and knotted ribbon tie. She had always thought he looked handsome in these clothes. She remembered thinking that same thing the first time she saw him approach the old headquarters' Gate the fateful night he introduced himself to the Black Order.

"Yes, it's me, Lenalee," replied Allen, finally loosening his tongue.

For what seemed like an eternity, neither spoke again or moved, frozen in place as if movement would break the spell.

"Allen-kun, please come out of the shadows," Lenalee finally said.

Propelled by her words, Allen pushed himself off from the wall, surprised to find that he had been leaning his back against it at some point.

As he slowly walked toward her, she suddenly ran to him.

Allen stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened in surprised as she took hold of his right hand in both of hers. This was all so familiar. He remembered the night she found him after having a bad dream. She had held his hand then as well and asked him not to retreat further into the shadows.

"Allen-kun…that night when I found you alone…I was very worried but you told me that I was just being over-protective…"

"Yes, I remember."

"Is that still true? Am I really being over-protective? Are you going to tell me the truth now?"

This time, it was Allen who drew Lenalee into his embrace, wishing to give her comfort but finding that he was the one who was feeling comforted. She braced her arms against his chest and leaned into him as he encircled her within his arms. She turned her face and placed her head against his chest, listening to the reassuring beat of his heart. He was really here…

They stood like that for a long minute, soaking in each others' warmth, and creating new memories.

Allen pulled back slightly but still held her, lifting his hand and tucking the loose strands on the left side of her face behind her ear.

"Your hair has grown so much longer since the last time I saw you. I am so sorry for the time I wasted…"

"I will forgive you…if you tell me the truth," said Lenalee, hearing the remorse thick in Allen's voice.

"I need to tell you something…so many things…"

Lenalee closed her eyes.

To Be Continued

* * *

Note* - a qipao, in case anyone is wondering, is a traditional one-piece Chinese dress. Google qipao or chipao, or cheongsam for images.

Side note – Holy crap, have you guys read Chapter 199 of the manga yet? Kanda actually calls Allen…well… something other than "moyashi"! I was floored! If you haven't read it yet, go nao! I'd post the link but apparently this site frowns on it. Like this: :-(


	8. Chapter 7

**Revelations Chapter 7**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order - Asian Branch: Training Arena**

"Your hair has grown so much longer since the last time I saw you. I am so sorry for the time I wasted…"

"I will forgive you…if you tell me the truth," said Lenalee, hearing the remorse thick in Allen's voice.

"I need to tell you something…so many things…"

Lenalee closed her eyes. "It is all I have ever wanted from the beginning, Allen-kun—for you to share your burdens with us…with me."

"Is there somewhere we can go to talk?"

"They converted a supply closet into a room for me. It's a little small but it should give us enough privacy. Is that all right with you?"

"Let's go."

Neither Allen nor Lenalee moved, wanting, just for a few more moments, to revel in their renewed closeness.

"It's this way," said Lenalee as she finally began to pull away from Allen. Not wanting to fully break their connection just yet, she slid her hand down the length of his left arm and then held onto his hand, leading him in the direction of her temporary quarters. As Allen followed Lenalee, he couldn't help but look at their clasped hands. There were so many times when he had held hers before but they seemed to have been during perilous situations where it was almost a necessity. But now, in the safety of the Asian Branch, he held Lenalee's hand for the first time for no other reason than just wanting to.

As they walked toward the northern exit leading to the service hallway, they both heard small footsteps and then a loud noise from behind them, as if glass were breaking. Letting go of each other and quickly turning around, they sought out the origin of the sound and found themselves looking at the slight silhouette of a young girl, standing under the archway from where Allen had previously entered.

"W-Walker-san?"

Lou Fa stood raising both of her hands to almost entirely cover her mouth, her cheeks blushing brightly. A cup lay broken into pieces at her feet.

"Oh, Lou Fa-chan! We were supposed to meet after practice tonight," said Lenalee. "I had forgotten, I'm sorry."

"Good evening, Lou Fa-san. It's been a long time," Allen said in greeting. He looked over at Lenalee and silently asked a question. Lenalee nodded and simply said, "She knows."

Lou Fa was grateful to have made her schedule coincide with Lenalee's so they could spend their off time together. She came as quickly as she could though being delayed a few minutes from making some tea for Lenalee to try. Rushing and not spilling a cup of hot tea was fairly challenging but she had made it to the arena with the tea intact…that is until she dropped it at the sight of Lenalee and Allen walking off together, hand in hand.

"Lou Fa-san, are you all right?" asked Allen, noticing that she hadn't so much as moved since they saw her there.

"Um, yes, I'm fine, Walker-san," she said, finally, "I just didn't expect to see you here. I was bringing Lenalee some new Oolong tea to try. The kitchen just received a fresh batch this afternoon.

All three of them turned their eyes to the puddle of liquid and broken glass pieces in front of Lou Fa.

"I guess I'll have to make another batch," said Lou Fa, more to herself than anyone else.

Lenalee smiled. "I appreciate that you thought of me, Lou Fa-chan…"

"What are you doing here, Walker-san…if I may ask?" It was an abrupt question but Lou Fa desperately wanted some answers, though she didn't quite know how to go about finding them out. She felt a little light-headed at the moment and she wasn't sure if it was from the running or from what she had witnessed moments before.

"I've been asked to come and pick up Lenalee and take her back home," replied Allen.

"Does that mean that Supervisor Komui knows everything?" Lou Fa asked.

"Actually, no. He still believes Lenalee to be in Guangzhou. He doesn't know we took a…detour. We will be stopping by Guangzhou, however, so that we can retrieve Lenalee's golem and head straight home from there. Everything should work out fine so don't worry."

"I see…" replied Lou Fa, fishing in her head for another line of questioning that would make sense of what she had seen. "Are you leaving immediately?"

"No, it is likely we will be leaving tomorrow since it is rather late," said Allen.

"Oh. Then where are you heading off to, Walker-san?" Lou Fa asked boldly, losing her will to be subtle with each passing minute.

Lenalee had been watching this brief exchange with knowing eyes. Lou Fa's feelings for Allen were apparent to anyone the second she spoke his name and even more so during their long evening conversations. She understood that most people would write off Lou Fa's feelings as merely an uninformed infatuation at best, having fallen for a boy she had only met on a few occasions. But Lenalee was not going to underestimate nor undermine the young girl's feelings. After all, had she herself not experienced the same thing the first time she had met Allen? Her advantage in maturity may have hidden the exhibition of such feelings from discovery but they were there, nonetheless.

Lenalee's thoughts turned to Mistress Anita, back to the night on the doomed ship when she had asked to borrow some hair ties from her. While putting Lenalee's hair up into her mother's heirloom ties, Anita fondly relayed the story of how her mother fell in love at first sight with General Cross and that it was a rather "simple-minded" act. She smiled while saying so, clearly putting herself in the same category, having fallen for General Cross in the same manner. Lenalee recalled how nervous it made her feel to hear Anita's story, almost as if she was under the same scrutiny and could be deemed "simple-minded" as well. She wasn't sure if she liked the implication or being considered as such. 1

But when confronted with the idea, Lenalee knew that the first night she met Allen, she felt there was something special about him. His politeness, his gentleness, his genuine concern…she was drawn to him by Allen just being himself. It was only a matter of days before she felt an unbreakable connection with him. It was his voice, or even the mere thought of having heard it, that brought her out of unconsciousness and enabled her to put another one of her brother's insane creations to rest.2 That was why it had hurt her so much to find out that he didn't feel the same connection with her, otherwise he would not have ever questioned why she had stopped him from heading straight into the self-destructing akuma during their battle with Rhode.3 But she had reconciled the idea that it was a lop-sided relationship. She had to. But, even if Allen didn't feel the same way, there was no reason that should stop her from having them. Lenalee knew Allen cared for her a great deal and that he would do anything to protect her, as he did with any of his friends. She accepted this graciously and without regret. When Anita had said she would "do anything" for General Cross and that believing he was alive was all she could do with her own power, it was inspiring to Lenalee. That was the moment she realized she'd do anything for Allen as well and thereby resolved to believe that he would come back to them alive. It was Anita, with her strength and unrelenting faith, who showed Lenalee what it meant to truly love someone, no matter the time nor distance, regardless of whether or not the other person even felt the same way. She would press on, her feelings for Allen kept to herself and giving her strength from within when it mattered…

"I was actually just taking him to my room, Lou Fa-chan. I haven't seen him in so long, I asked him to give me the news on all of my friends back at home. I thought we'd have better privacy there," answered Lenalee, coming out of her stream of thoughts.

"I see…" replied Lou Fa, equivocating.

"Besides, Lenalee and I have to get our stories straight for our return so that Komui doesn't get suspicious, right?" added Allen, scratching the back of his head with his right hand.

"I see…"

Lenalee could see that Lou Fa had been taken aback. She most likely saw the two of them holding hands, though that was a display of affection more than anything, Lenalee told herself. Truthfully, she couldn't claim Allen as anything other than a dear friend and, knowing Lou Fa's feelings, she wasn't going to outright discount the idea that Allen might sooner or later reciprocate towards the young girl. The strength of her own feelings for Allen, as one-sided as they were, seemed to correlate with the increasing tightness Lenalee was starting to feel in her chest at the idea of Allen possibly returning Lou Fa's affections. But she wasn't going to stand in the way of them. It would be unfair to both Lou Fa and Allen if she were to do so. And she adored Lou Fa so much…

"Well, I should let you two catch up, then, shouldn't I? I have to get this mess cleaned up anyway," Lou Fa said, almost too cheerily. "I hope to see you before you have to leave," she said as she waved and ran off. Lenalee wasn't sure who Lou Fa was specifically referring to but hoped that she would be able to see her before heading back to Headquarters herself.

"We do have some catching up to do…." echoed Allen, somber again, gesturing toward the exit.

Lenalee was surprised when Allen slipped his hand into hers as they were before and waited for her to lead.

To Be Continued

* * *

1 From Manga – Chapter 64, page 6. From Anime – Episode 60. This is my own interpretation of their conversation but it felt to me that Lenalee was feeling a bit embarrassed by what Anita was telling her because she herself had experienced it with someone and therefore could also be considered "simple-minded." I am sure it could be read differently but this is how I chose to interpret it.

2 From Manga – Chapter 18, page 4. Obviously the Komurin II Incident.

3 From Manga – Chapter 25, page 14. From Anime – Episode 12

4 From Anime – Episode 60


	9. Chapter 8

**Revelations Chapter 8**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch: Lenalee's Quarters**

"Wow, you were right about it being a small room, Lenalee."

"If it's too uncomfortable, we can find some other place…"

"No, it's all right, of course," replied Allen, trying to reassure her. The size of the room was the least of his worries. He rather preferred it this way. Somehow, the closeness of the room made him feel better about the truths he was about to unleash out into world, particularly into Lenalee's. The magnitude of the information felt slightly more contained in a room such as this. The pure silliness of this idea followed his thoughts quickly but he was thankful for the intimacy of the quarters, nonetheless.

Allen ushered her in first and reluctantly let go of her hand. They hadn't spoken a word since Lou Fa took her leave of them but he used that time to focus on what he needed to tell Lenalee and to brace himself for what her reaction might be. At one point, he had found himself squeezing Lenalee's hand tighter than he had intended because of his growing tension. His breath had hitched when she returned the intensity of his grasp without a word.

The single person bed was pushed up against the corner of the room so that the head of the bed and one side was against the walls. Lenalee sat down at the head of the bed, curling her legs to the side.

"I'm sorry I can't offer you any other place to sit, but make yourself as comfortable as you can," Lenalee said.

Allen slowly walked towards her and sat at the foot and pulled himself in to lean his back against the wall which the side of the bed was pushed up against. It occurred to Allen that Lenalee had just come from her last training session with Fou.

"Lenalee, if you want to change into regular clothes or anything, I will leave the room until you're ready."

"It's all right. Fou's lesson for today was meditation today so I didn't even break out into a sweat…much," she said with a smile.

"I wanted to ask you about that…was she very hard on you?"

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry in answer to that, Allen-kun. She didn't treat me any differently than she did you. She made it a point of doing so..."

The light in the small room was generous in proportion to the cavernous arena and for the first time in many months, Allen looked at Lenalee. Her features were still as lovely as they ever were; delicate eyebrows framing her heart-shaped face, thick lashes shading her expressive eyes, her pert upturned nose, and her smooth lips. But he also noticed the tired lines under those eyes that came from lack of sleep. He was all too familiar with those these last several months. She had old bruises and cuts that were well on their way to healing and some fresh ones along her cheek and shoulders. Her exposed arms were toned and lean, exhibiting the work she had put into them over time. He could only imagine the strength in her legs was even more pronounced since that's where her true potency lay.

"…and I owe her so much for doing exactly that," Lenalee continued. "It would have crushed me if she ever held back because she didn't think I could handle it. I wasn't going to give her an excuse to do so."

"Why, Lenalee...why did you come here? Why did you do all of this?" asked Allen, looking away from Lenalee.

Lenalee was puzzled. Did Lavi not tell him? And even if he didn't, how could he not know?

"Lavi said that I should hear it from you. And I want to."

Lenalee drew her legs up and pulled them into her chest. Lowering her head, she rested her chin atop her knees and closed her eyes. She thought for a long moment, remembering the reasons why she came here and trying hard to suppress the still fresh emotions they evoked within her. It was like opening a wound that had yet to heal and the pain of it was just as intense as when it was first rendered apart.

"There are no words that exist in the world that could express how I felt when you and Lavi and Crowley were risking your lives and…all I could do was stand there and watch while you were hurt over and over again…"

"There was no way for you to break free of those prisons that Jasdebi or Rhode created around you…."

"No, it wasn't just then. Even when I was just cast aside as a non-threat, in the open, I was totally useless. I had come to rely on my Innocence so much that I didn't know how to do anything once it left me. After that, I became a liability instead of someone who could fight by my friends' side. Even if I was of no use, the enemy used me against you. It was the worst thing that could happen, Allen-kun; to be a first-hand witness to my world crumbling around me. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to die again. I would rather have died than be used against those which I should have been protecting. It would have been better not to exist at all so that everyone could fight without having to worry about me on top of your own lives. I hated feeling that way. I hated it so much!"

"What do you mean….you wanted to die again?" asked Allen. He had turned to face Lenalee when she had spoken those words. They didn't process with him. When Lenalee continued on with her impassioned reasoning, he was stuck on those words. _She wanted to die? It wasn't the first time?_

"I…." Lenalee said but stopped abruptly, catching herself. "Allen-kun…we didn't come here to talk about me." She had alluded to an earlier time in her life without meaning to and Allen had latched onto it.

He continued to look at her, not dropping the question.

Lenalee let out a sigh. "I mentioned to you before that when I was first taken into the Order, it was not by choice."

Allen nodded.

"I was in turn scared and angry and scared and I wanted to go home so badly. After a while, I didn't even care if I went home, I just wanted out of there, no matter what it took. The last time I tried to escape, they found me, but I had a contingency plan at that point. I was done with trying to just physically escape that I had taken a small cutting blade from one of the lab trays and hidden it within my sleeves before my escape. I wanted to make sure that I escaped the Order…one way or the other. When they caught me, I thought I cut myself deeply enough but I must have been too weak to even do that properly."

"Lenalee…"

"He always found me: Chief Inspector Leverrier," Lenalee continued. "He found me that time too and he made them bind my cuts with bandages and tie me to a bed so that I could not move my arms or legs. I prayed to God to let me die and I was denied even that. I wasn't praying for the right thing, I guess, but God answered the prayer I was too hopeless to utter myself and one day He brought my brother to me. It was only then that I started to want to live again. But that same helplessness was what I felt watching you and Lavi that day as you fought Rhode and Tyki Mikk. I was back in that bed, shackled, unable to move, wanting to be erased from existence. It was a better alternative than to be seeing what I was seeing. I was so angry, Allen-kun; at myself for being so useless, at my Innocence for abandoning me, and at God who seemed to have turned His back on me again."

"When I was younger, I couldn't understand how selfish my actions were. Because I couldn't handle something, I decided that it would be better to take myself out of the world. It was the easy way out…the coward's way out. I thought I was past that way of thinking. But when I was trapped inside Rhode's cage, I felt that familiar pang again – that aching need to just disappear forever rather than sit idly by without being able to do anything. But I caught myself this time and pushed those thoughts away. How could I think such things when my brother would be left alone and my friends would be burdened even more? So, all I had left after that was anger. But you called me out on it, Allen-kun."

"I did…?"

"I thought I was just angry but you made me realize that the real reason I was mad was because of how weak I felt. When we were walking up those never-ending stairs, I thought about how you returned to us with so much more strength and spirit than ever before. I admired you. I still do. I knew then how weak I had become, and perhaps I had always been. And I knew I had to try harder, be stronger, or else I would never be of help to the Order, much less to my friends. I would just continue to be the dead weight that I was that whole time. When we returned home, I thought about it for a while; how I should train myself not only so I could utilize my Innocence better, but also not have to depend solely on my Innocence to survive. It took me a couple of months to realize what I had to do. I wanted to talk to you about it…get your opinion…but I…you didn't seem to want to be around me. The last time I felt close to you was when you had finally come back from your meeting with General Cross and you found me and Johnny waiting up for you. Well, I guess we had both fallen asleep," Lenalee said, with a smile, remembering the time fondly. "You sat next to me and chatted before you fell asleep as well. But you looked so…I don't know how to describe it…so sadly resolved about something. That was the last time I ever spoke to you until now."

Allen wanted to rattle out all of his feelings of regret and apologize for his ridiculous plan of alienating her for her own good when all it did was hurt her. Even now her face shown the passing shadows of doubt and concern for each of the times he avoided her or was short with her in order to excuse himself. But before that, he knew he couldn't pass up the chance to address all that she had told him in the last moments. He moved closer to her near the head of the bed and reached out to feel the silken strands of her hair. Lenalee looked up at Allen, her eyes large and glistening with unshed tears.

"What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror…when you see how much your hair as grown?" he asked her gently.

"I see what I have lost."

"What about what you have gained?"

"What I have gained?"

"Yes, Lenalee," replied Allen, pulling back, letting her hair gently fall back into place and brush the top of her shoulders. He sat cross-legged, facing her directly. Lavi told me about that night when you took on the Level 3 akuma by yourself. How can you say you were ever cowardly? No one had ever done that before. But Lavi said you had charged in, fiercely. What he remembered most vividly was the look on your face before he had to go back to the ship with Bookman. He said that you seemed like you had decided something. You had decided to throw your life away in order to defeat the Level 3, didn't you?"

"I…I knew it was something I had to accept could happen. It served me right for leaving your side when we were trying to help Suman. "

*Allen looked at Lenalee, bewildered as to where this was leading.

"Then Timcanpy took us to where…"

Lenalee's breath hitched as her mind's eye brought her back to that bamboo forest, where the foliage was so thick it seemed as if they were enclosed by night under the dense canopy of leaves. Only the few, scattered shafts of light that pierced through indicated it was indeed day time. One of those beams illuminated a large darkening splotch on the ground and it changed the surrounding colors so much that Lenalee couldn't tell what it was until she got close enough to touch it. Falling to her knees, she reached out with her fingers, feeling the chilled dampness of it, the forest steadily encroaching and suffocating her…

"…to where…but you were gone….and your blood… there was so much blood. I touched it. It was so cold. And you were gone. I looked down to see your blood on my fingers, my hands. Your blood was on my hands."

Lenalee looked down at her open palms as if seeing again the smear of Allen's blood painted all over her hands in streaks of condemnation.

"I couldn't bring myself to wash it off for a long time. It was the only way to keep you with me so I wouldn't forget what I did…"

"No, Lenalee! You mustn't feel that you were being punished. I didn't know Timcanpy had led you back there and you shouldn't have seen that. But it wasn't you're fault, you have to believe me! I made my own choices that led me there. And I would never have found the true nature of my Innocence without losing it first. And you, you were willing to die for the purpose of saving your friends and loved ones, not because you wanted to erase yourself from the world because you were scared."

"But, I was very scared, Allen-kun!"

"Being afraid and being a coward, they're two different things. You were scared but ran head-long into the fight. That doesn't seem like something a coward or a person had given up would do. Because of that, Lavi, Miranda, Crowley, Chaoji, Kei, and Masao -they survived. And so did you. I never got to thank you for that: For saving our friends…and for coming back to us. Please don't see it as a loss, Lenalee. What you gained was more valuable than you or I can put a price on. And the strength you had to have to do so was immeasurable."

"I couldn't…didn't see it that way."*

"Of course you didn't. From your perspective, you were only doing what came naturally to you, just as you were naturally frustrated when you were trapped by Rhode. I would have felt the same way."

"I felt like I was going crazy, Allen-kun. I really thought I'd go mad in there."

"But you pulled yourself out of that and decided to become even stronger, didn't you?"

"I guess…eventually."

"You gave me and Lavi a good walloping even without the use of your Innocence. I think we still have the bruises from it," Allen said, smiling, as he almost felt the phantom bump and ache on the right side of his head.

"I don't know how you do it, Allen-kun."

"Hmm?"

"You manage to keep smiling even through the most harrowing situations. That smile makes everyone trust in you and feel at ease. And rightly so. But I know better, Allen-kun. You are hiding such sadness behind that smile. There's something you haven't told me – something gravely important and we've wasted enough time talking about me. Please, let me help you, whatever it is. Tell me what's been bothering you for so long?" pleaded Lenalee, reaching out to place her hand over his.

Allen felt the warmth of her care and support stem from her hand on his, up his arm, down his neck, spreading into his chest. His heart began to beat faster and his face flushed so he lowered his head to screen the sudden change of color to his face.

"Allen-kun…"

"I will tell you something I've learned about me, Lenalee. And then you will have to decide whether you ever want to see me again…"

To Be Continued

* * *

Originally written on 10/9/10

11/2/10 –Revision: I added and edited a few paragraphs to this Chapter after feeling I had forgotten to make some points about how Lenalee literally and figuratively had Allen's blood on her hands. I went back and added to and/or amended the parts that are between the asterisks near the end of this Chapter.


	10. Chapter 9

**Revelations Chapter 9**

Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-centric storyline that's currently going on in the manga (not that I don't like Kanda…I heart him…but he's just not the focus of this particular story). So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch: Lenalee's Quarters**

"I will tell you something I've learned about me, Lenalee. And then you will have to decide whether you ever want to see me again…"

Allen turned his face away and Lenalee was filled with dread as she gazed upon his profile. She slowly pulled her hands away and straightened her back rigidly.

"I've seen that look before. I will never forget the expression you had on your face when you came back from your meeting with General Cross that night. There was this resigned sadness about you. And after that, you stopped talking to me."

"Lavi was right. It should always have been your decision, not mine. I'm sorry for taking that away from you. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You're scaring me, Allen-kun."

"Truth is, I'm scared, too, Lenalee."

Lenalee reached across the still air that hung between them and gently stroked the thick lock of hair that covered the side of his face. She remembered doing this when she woke up under the bridge, when Allen had come back to them, apologizing to her for Suman. She remembered feeling as if it comforted her just as much as it did him and she hoped it would again.

Allen closed his eyes, wanting to lock this moment away in his memory with all of his senses, not knowing whether he would ever have the chance to be this close to her again.

"Whatever it is, I'm not going to abandon you, you must know this!" Lenalee continued. "After all we've been through together…you can't think I would leave you now. Please, what is it?"

"I…I am not only the tool of the Noah, I am one."

Lenalee stopped all movement. Even her breathing seemed to cease. Allen waited for the blow.

"What?" came the soft, broken whisper.

"I have been implanted with the life and memories of the 14th Noah. He has already begun to manifest himself within me."

Lenalee had let her hands drop on to the bed in front of her, having them support her weight as she leaned forward, as she stared unblinkingly into Allen's smooth face.

"I don't understand, Allen-kun. I don't understand…"

"You must have heard the rumors. When we came back and from successfully keeping the Earl from downloading the akuma plant, there was a swirl of them floating around Headquarters."

"Y-yes, I heard them but why would I even pay them any heed…?"

"Because they were apparently true. Even I didn't know to what extent."

"But how….no…." Lenalee rocked back on her heels and covered her face with her hands. "No, Allen-kun!"

"You know in your heart that it's true. You're smart, Lenalee. I'm sure you've already realized that it explains why the ark moves at my command and how I knew how to use the key with the music. On top of that, I see him sometimes."

Lenalee tried to slow her heart from racing to the point of jumping out of her chest and she could feel the hot tears waiting behind her eyes. But his last statement was jarring enough to distract her from her own physical reactions.

"What do you mean you see him?" she asked, as her hands slowly fell away from her face.

"At first, I saw him in my dreams. I didn't know who or what he was then; just a figure, I guess. But then I would see him in my reflection, hear his voice in my head, even have conversations with him. He talked to me inside the ark…he told me what to do. I was in his room. My room. Everything was familiar to me in a place I had never been before. I had never laid hands on a piano before, Lenalee. But I played it as if I had known how to all of my life."

Lenalee felt as if she would implode. All of these things made sense to her in her mind. It simplistically explained the mystery behind everything that had happened inside the ark, why Howard Link was assigned to him by Louvelier and therefore was under such scrutiny by Central. At the very least, this was not something Allen would just admit to without some basis. But her heart was not accepting this at all and the rejection of the idea was so fierce that Lenalee began to shiver.

"How…why…?"

"I will try to answer you with as much as I know so please bear with me. They told me the 14th's will and memories were transferred into me. I don't know how or when but I suppose it must have been when I was very young, around the time I met Mana. I never knew something like that occurred. I certainly didn't feel any different. Master said that the 14th was out to kill the Earl, though I don't know why. After his attempt to do so, life for him and Mana was a never-ending road to stay alive."

"He and Mana? Your father knew the 14th?"

Allen took a moment to answer as it was something he had yet to come to grips with himself and it pained him still to recount it.

"Mana was the 14th's older brother."

Lenalee's eyes fluttered closed with the weight of what that sentence meant. She started to feel the sensation of light-headedness counterpointed by a top-heaviness, almost enough to make her fall over. She stopped herself immediately by placing a steadying hand on the wall next to her. If she was feeling this way, she could only imagine that Allen's devastation dwarfed hers as the sun does the moon.

There were so many things she wanted to ask him; so many questions flooded her mind that she couldn't figure out what order in which to ask them or even if they would make sense. _Why was all this happening? Why Allen? He didn't deserve all of this suffering…_

Lenalee opened her eyes, slowly breathing in through her nose, hoping that her voice would not waver when she spoke at last. She needed to be strong for Allen. This was not the time to add to his struggles by falling apart, no matter how thoroughly disarmed she felt at the moment. She decided at least one question stood out as being the most important…

"And what's going to happen to you, Allen-kun?"

One side of Allen's mouth turned up, almost in a smirk, and he let out a quick breath.

"I don't know. And I can't tell how much control I will have over it either."

Lenalee shook her head almost imperceptibly, not understanding fully.

"My master told me that, eventually, the 14th would manifest himself in me," Allen went on, "and that he would overtake me to where the person known as Allen Walker would recede…into nothing."

"No…"

"His desire is to destroy the Earl. His goal is not that different from ours, when you look at it that way. He wants it so much that he had prepared a way for him to come back so he could continue on, even after the Earl killed him. That's how driven he was...is."

"Allen-kun. You don't plan on letting this happen, do you?"

"I plan on fighting it for as long as I can and as hard as I can."

"That's not what it sounds like to me!"

Allen turned his face to Lenalee. He seemed so tired. Shoulders heavy with a burden no one could fathom and his heart broken so many times from loss and anguish. She could cry for him. But what good would that do? What good had any of her tears done for anyone? Allen was not to be pitied. That would not be what she would offer him as a friend and comrade. He deserved so much more than tea and sympathy.

"Please believe me, Lenalee; I don't want this to happen either. But I'm not so much afraid of losing myself as I am of losing…others."

Lenalee quietly slipped her way to the edge of the bed and slowly stood up, facing the door.

"I understand if you want to leave, now, though…it is your choice, after all…" said Allen, under his breath, in hopes that stating a prelude to the act might make it hurt a little less. Hadn't he prepared himself for this at all? He bowed his head so he wouldn't have to watch her leave.

Lenalee started moving toward where Allen was sitting at the foot of the bed. She stopped in front of him and turned to face him. Allen dared not look up at her, not wanting to see the disappointment, the frustration, or just the sadness. All he could see were her feet, perfectly aligned together and pointed toward him, unmoving. Was she going to say goodbye? He could hardly bear it. He would rather she just walked out silently without another look than to have to listen to her parting words. He had to keep telling himself that this was best. If she was no longer in contact with him then maybe it would be enough to protect her…

"Allen-kun, look at me!"

Suddenly Allen felt Lenalee's hands gripping him on his shoulders and shaking him once. She was bending over him, her face only inches away. In his surprise, he impulsively did as she asked.

"I won't ever leave you. Ever. Do you hear me? Are you trying to get rid of me or something?"

"N-no…it's not like that…" retorted Allen, waving his hands defensively in front of him.

"Good, because you can just forget any notion of that happening."

Allen, despite himself, smiled. Was he feeling relieved when instead he should want her as far away from him as possible? _Selfish._

"Remember what you told me that time, Allen-kun? That time when I was panicking over leaving Crowley behind inside the ark?"

Allen kept looking into Lenalee's soft yet determined face. Locking eyes with her made him focus and her words seemed to him like an oasis in a desert.

"You said," she continued, "that you would not give up. That you would keep struggling and protect everyone."

"Yes, I did say that."

"And you believed it."

"Yes."

"I believed you, too. I want to keep believing that, Allen-kun. You have to fight this, if not for yourself, then to protect your friends."

"I would never allow the 14th to hurt you or anyone else."

"I know that. But that's not what I meant."

Allen tilted his head slightly, puzzled.

"You know that my friends and family are my world."

Allen nodded.

"You're a big part of that world. If you were to somehow disappear…" Lenalee's thoughts quickly flashed to her one recurring nightmare.

"I understand, Lenalee. I wouldn't want to be responsible for that."

"You just have to do one thing, Allen-kun. You just have to keep being you. That's all. Then everything will be okay. You're stronger than this thing. You're the strongest person I know."

"That's saying a lot considering the people you know."

"Yes."

"Thank you, Lenalee. I just needed to be reminded. I also made a promise that I wouldn't let the 14th have me."

"You did?"

"Yeah, when my Master told me all of this, I was so indignant that everything I worked for could be taken away that I wanted him to know that my life was my own."

Lenalee felt some measure of assurance at last. She let her hands slide off Allen's shoulders, down his chest and onto his lap as she herself knelt down before him as the tension in her legs finally gave way.

"I'm going to make sure you keep that promise, Allen-kun," she said lightly, looking up into his face.

Allen placed his hands over hers. "I promised Mana something, too…." Allen trailed off and his peaceful expression receded away as the tide pulled out by the moon and was replaced once again with the resigned sadness that Lenalee had seen that night. She knew then that it wasn't the idea of losing himself to the 14th that was eating away at him. It was something else.

Lenalee lowered her head, resting her cheek atop Allen's hands which had folded over hers.

"Tell me about your father, Allen-kun. Tell me about Mana.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

A/N: Wow, sorry for taking so long to update. I usually don't like going more than two days but it's been 3 weeks or so! Life kind of got in the way (too many birthdays, baby showers, weddings, trips, Oktoberfest, and Halloween, friends visiting from out of town, etc.) PLUS I was kind of intimidated about writing this Chapter because of the meat of the content. Yeah, I'm a big chicken.

Also, if you've previously read Chapter 8 and didn't get the notification, I made an update to it. I added a few chunks near the end because I felt I left out an important perspective of Lenalee's. If you'd like, please go back and read it again, particularly the last quarter of it or so. I marked the changed areas with * and took out the footnotes altogether. Again, sorry for taking so long with an update between then and now.


	11. Chapter 10

**Revelations Chapter 10**

*Sorry it has taken me SO long to update. This chapter was just heavy and sad to write as I tried to imagine what Allen was feeling; doubting his relationship with Mana, doubting himself, doubting everything he based his life on. I apologize in advance as a lot of things between Mana and Allen weren't really shown in detail in the manga or anime so I kind of had to fill in the holes for the sake of this story. I tried to keep it as realistic as I could in terms of how their relationship might have been like and how they met but I did have to take some liberties so please forgive me in that aspect. Hopefully it doesn't cause an uproar.

I happened to be listening to Keane's "Everybody's Changing" at the same time. The lyrics seemed appropriate:

_/__You say you wander your own land__, b__ut when I think about it__I don't see how you can__/ __You're aching, you're breaking__, a__nd I can see the pain in your eyes__, s__ays everybody's changing__ a__nd I don't know why__/ __So little time__, t__ry to understand that I'm__ t__rying to make a move just to stay in the game__. __I try to stay awake and remember my name__, b__ut everybody's changing__ a__nd I don't feel the same__/ __You're gone from here__, s__oon you will disappear__, f__ading into beautiful light__. __'Cause everybody's changing__ a__nd I don't feel right__/ __So little time__, t__ry to understand that I'm__ t__rying to make a move just to stay in the game __/__I try to stay awake and remember my name__, b__ut everybody's changing__ a__nd I don't feel the same__./_

If you've never heard it, YouTube it. It's hauntingly beautiful.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch: Lenalee's Quarters**

"Tell me about your father, Allen-kun. Tell me about Mana."

Allen was silent for a long time. Even in the solitude of the room, Lenalee couldn't hear him breathing and so she finally looked up at him, the sound of her movement breaking the stillness. He was staring off into a space somewhere behind her, his eyes half-lidded and downcast. The only other way she could tell he was in the room with her was the warmth of his hands covering hers in his lap. Lenalee didn't say anything, not wanting to push him, waiting patiently for him to collect his thoughts when finally…

"Mana was weird."

Lenalee unwittingly exhaled a loud breath with a little chuckle tacked on at the end, not even realizing that she had been holding it. She wasn't expecting that kind of answer at all judging by the melancholy look on Allen's face just moments before but it was so like Allen to say such a thing she couldn't help but smile up at him.

Allen looked down at Lenalee's face, the little laugh that escaped her throat pulling him back to her from where his mind had drifted off. He couldn't help but smile himself.

"Well, he was!" Allen insisted.

"Why do you think that?"

"He would say things that didn't make sense or make weird jokes at the wrong time…I guess he was trying to make me laugh sometimes…"

"How did you meet him?"

Allen looked up and far off again, thinking back on memories that had been shelved away.

"I joined the circus when I was maybe around 5 or 6 years old. I had been in and out of orphanages before then but I knew I didn't have a chance of being adopted because of my…my arm. It kind of made people uneasy."

Lenalee rested her head down on his hands again, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable with her gaze as he spoke about things that had been locked away in his heart for so long and never shared with anyone. She didn't want him to notice the slow ache that was starting to grow in her chest which would eventually spread into her allusive eyes.

"I was just an errand boy for the first year, running around fetching things for everyone, cleaning cages and feeding the animals. I was small enough to get around things others couldn't and my hands could reach into tiny spaces so it was easier for me to fix the equipment. I was running around a lot but I learned quite a bit, too, from watching everyone. Then Mana joined our troupe. I didn't realize it at first but he was a traveling performer and he happened to come upon ours on the road. I couldn't tell because he was dressed so nicely with a top hat and everything, but he was really a good clown; he was good at other things like singing, playing music, magic, and storytelling, too."

"Everyone usually lived and ate at the grounds where we worked at the time. But I noticed that Mana would change back into his nice clothes and leave every night. One time, I followed him because I was so curious and I saw him going into a beautiful brick home in the nearby town where he stayed the rest of the night. It was confusing – why would a man who lived in such a house act the clown during the day? The next night, I followed him again. But when I thought he was out of sight, he suddenly opened the front door, smiled and said, 'Welcome back, Allen.' He invited me in and let me stay over. He welcomed me back openly every day after that."

"We were inseparable. He showed me how to balance on a ball, juggle, eat fire and even do some magic. I used to hear him singing late at night at his house; it was kind of nice to hear at the end of a long day. Sometimes, I'd hear him talk in his sleep, too. He used to have nightmares but I couldn't tell what he was saying, but often times, I could tell he was crying. But I didn't know what to say to him about it."

"Then, one day, he said he was going to leave the troupe. He didn't like staying in one place too long, he told me. At first I was angry with myself for getting attached to him. It was never a good idea for me to do that with anyone. But Mana surprised me. He asked me if I wanted to go with him…if I wanted to keep living with him. Even though it went against everything I had learned from all the disappointments before, I eagerly agreed. I was so happy. And together we left the next day. It was Christmas day...and it was the best present I've ever been given."

Lenalee closed her eyes and nodded, the ache growing sharper, deeper, almost making her grimace with the force of it.

"He sounds like a kind man," said Lenalee, genuinely, hoping to spur him on further.

"He was. And he taught me a lot. He showed me how to have manners, to always be a gentleman, and to speak politely. We always walked places, even if it was very far and it would take days and days. When I got tired or faltered, he'd encourage me, telling me to never stop; to keep going; that I could make it if I tried. I didn't realize how important that was then but it has stayed with me."

"You loved him very much, didn't you?"

"…Yeah…I did."

"And he loved you, Allen-kun," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"…"

Lenalee didn't hear anything from Allen for awhile and she waited as she did before, hoping he would continue on in his own time. But then she felt him pull his hands away from where they had laid atop hers. When she looked up, he was wiping the cascade of tears away from his face as many more sprung to his eyes, pooled, and fell, making his efforts ineffectual.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start…" he began, unable to control the quivering in his voice.

"What is it Allen-kun?" asked Lenalee, now unable to hide the deep concern in her voice that came from the ever-constricting pain that was boring a hole in her heart. She stood up and then sat next to him closely on his left, putting a comforting hand on his back. "Please tell me," she pleaded, as she tried to help him stem the tide of tears that kept falling.

"I don't know, Lenalee."

"What is it you don't know?"

"I don't know if he loved me…"

Lenalee completely stopped moving; her thumb now resting on the smoothness of Allen's cheek where she had attempted to help him wipe the tears away, her right hand stilled on his back where it had been soothing him just moments before. She could only stare at him as he closed his eyes and lowered his face into his hands.

"I don't know if he loved me at all, Lenalee," he repeated, his voice muffled by his hands, as his body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

Hot tears sprang to her own eyes as her heart finally broke into pieces for him from the constant onslaught and now this final blow. The sight of this otherwise remarkably strong young man, hunched over in immeasurable agony, weeping for a man he loved and admired whose last act before leaving this world was cursing his own son, undid her.

"Oh, Allen-kun…" she exhaled, words failing to come that would give him any solace. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and gathered him into her embrace, holding him tightly as he cried unabashedly into her shoulder. His arms encircled her waist and crushed her to him as if she were the only thing he could tether himself to in order to stay buoyed in this sweeping maelstrom of despair. With each cry he uttered, all fueled by doubt, regret and loss, Lenalee continued to hold him steadily, allowing the potent waves of grief to mercilessly crash into her again and again and break against her, until they finally became smaller ripples that lapped upon her shore. She didn't know how long they had stayed like this and she didn't care. She would hold him however long he needed. When she had been helpless in every way, he held her up and took on her burdens, shouldering her doubt and fears until she could stand on her own feet again. She would not fail him either.

Allen's breathing became more even and calm and the intensity of his hold on her loosened. Thinking he might have fallen asleep leaning into her, she gingerly placed her hand on the back of his head and laced her fingers into his hair, stroking through it gently.

Allen lifted his face away from her shoulder and leaned back slightly, not wanting to break contact completely yet.

"I'm sorry…I think I ruined your shirt…" he said, looking at the silk blouse that had caught all of his tears.

"Don't do that, Allen-kun. Don't apologize for this. It means so much that you can talk to me about it."

Allen nodded and looked down, unsure of what to say next. He thought he had that tightly wound coil under control but, with Lenalee's innocent words, it had snapped out quickly and with such ferocity, that his body shook under its release.

Lenalee brushed the tendrils of hair off of his wet, tear-streaked face and tucked them behind his ears, inwardly noting how it almost looked translucent in places where it was damp.

"Will you tell me why you said that; why you feel you don't know…?"

"My Master…he told me that the memories of the 14th were implanted in me long ago, while I was very young. The whole time I was with Mana, he was already there within me. I never thought about why Mana took me in so quickly or why we got along so well or why he treated me so kindly. But it all makes sense now. The songs he sang, the things he taught me, the games we played together…he was playing them with his brother all over again…not me…not me…"

As Allen spoke, he felt as if the words were leaving his mouth with the speed of thick molasses; oozing and creeping out, dripping down to the floor with the tug of gravity and its own weight. And there it was, the foundation of his life pooling and spreading out in a puddle of full disclosure before them both.

Lenalee's mind was racing though her body was still. Everything Allen had lived for was being thrown into question and the confident young man whose eyes once burned with fierce determination was now unraveling. But the only thing she could think about was just how solid and real Allen was; that she would never be able to doubt the pillar Allen was built upon. How could someone so true be based on a lie? It wasn't possible.

"Allen-kun…I need to ask you some questions. Is that okay?"

Allen nodded.

"It might be difficult."

"I don't know how much worse it can get than this, Lenalee."

She couldn't disagree but she trudged onward.

"Mana was a normal human being, yes?

"Yes," Allen answered rather quickly. Mana's death was all too final; his second death too painfully permanent for him to be otherwise.

"How would he be able to even know that you were somehow connected with his brother? He couldn't have sensed something like that. Did you ever notice the 14th's presence around that time?"

"No. I had only begun to notice it recently but, who's to say Mana couldn't sense something. They were brothers, after all."

"That might be true but he gave you the choice to go with him or not when he decided to move on from that traveling circus, right? If you had said 'no' for whatever reason, that would have been it. You would have parted then. If he somehow knew you were his brother, don't you think he would have done everything to stay where you were? Why would he even entertain the idea of leaving you or losing you?"

Allen didn't respond.

"While you were with him, did you ever feel he was treating you like someone he already knew?"

Allen thought long and hard, reviewing the memories that came easily and also the ones that took effort to find again.

"He asked me a lot of questions about where I had come from and what I wanted to do with my life. We never ran out of things to talk about on our long walks. I wasn't very talkative at first but I warmed up to it and soon would ask him questions as well. He loved telling me stories from prior work he had done or places he had traveled to. I was curious about different countries and he never tired of telling me about them when I asked. He seemed to like teaching me things…like his songs…"

The way Allen trailed off, Lenalee knew there was something he was caught on. She placed her hand tenderly on his shoulder and felt the tension in his muscles.

"When he wanted to teach me things," he continued, "we would make a game out of it. It seemed more fun to learn that way. When he taught me songs, we'd write it out with little notes and words we made up. It was like our own code and no one else could decipher it. I was really proud to help him make up our own secret language. I don't know if you knew this, Lenalee, but that song that moved the Ark…it was written in that language…a language only he and I would know. Why would that music be inside the Ark? He was singing songs with his brother, using the language he created with the 14th, and I thought I was being clever in making it up. But it was the 14th in me…it wasn't me."

Lenalee let her hand slide off of his shoulder and she shifted her position, sitting with her legs under her, facing him more fully.

"Allen-kun, they were songs Mana must have been fond of, especially if they reminded him of his brother. And he wanted to pass them on to you, as any father would his son. There's nothing strange about that."

He pondered her words.

"Even so, he and I made that language up together…or so I thought. But it was something that already existed and I was somehow able to recreate it. He must have known something then."

"Did he treat you any differently after that? As if he had some revelation about you?"

After much thought, Allen answered, "No…I guess he really didn't. He just went along with my ideas as if they were the natural thing to do and the notes he was creating made sense to me."

"He must have been thrilled that you and he were able to communicate in such a way. Can't you see that he was just happy to share that with you and for you to respond so well to it?"

"I…"

"You can't doubt Mana now, Allen-kun. Even apart from who you have become, if you doubt Mana now, it would make everything he did for you and with you, meaningless. Please don't take that away from him."

Allen's stared at Lenalee, incredulous of what he had just heard.

"All that you are now, he had a part in it, right? He taught you how to be a gentleman, to be polite to everyone, to consider others first, to keep moving forward and believe in yourself. He didn't need to teach his brother any of those things. But he did need to teach his son."

Allen's eyes grew wide and began to brim with unshed tears.

"What was the last thing he ever said to you, Allen-kun?"

"He said…" Allen replied, thinking.

Lenalee reached out and gently squeezed his hand.

"He said…he loved me."

Lenalee's eyes closed and her heart surged forward.

"He said, 'Allen, I love you,'" stated Allen, his voice stronger and clearer.

"He did?" she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"He said my name, Lenalee."

"Because he only saw you, Allen-kun. It was always you. As he left this world, it was you he wanted to know he loved."

And the tears fell silently down both of their cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Mana," Allen said into the night. "I'm sorry I almost threw away everything you did for me."

"He would be so proud of you, Allen-kun. A proud father."

Allen wiped away his tears with the back of his free hand and when he looked up, Lenalee was rewarded with a smile. It was small but it was true; not the smile he had when he wanted to convince her that everything would be okay when it clearly wouldn't, but a smile so real and concentrated that it was almost overpowering.

"Thank you, Lenalee…"

"I'm just happy that we could talk like this."

"Me, too."

They lingered in the moment for a while, absorbing the still swirling waves of emotions that had crested around them and resulted in their comforting touch.

"We're quite a sight right now with our red eyes and puffy faces, you know?" said Lenalee, finally, breaking the silence.

"I hope we won't get the inquisition from Link tomorrow about it."

"We should get some sleep then. It's already so late and we have to go back home in the morning."

"You're right, Lenalee," said Allen, now feeling the heaviness in his body caused by the intensity of the realizations that night. "I'll go find out where I can stay the night. You think I should try to find Wong or Bak-san? Shame to wake them, they must be sleeping already…" he wondered aloud as he stood up reluctantly.

"Then stay here, Allen-kun."

"Lenalee…"

"Will you?"

"I…"

"I'm a little nervous about going home tomorrow. And I would like it if you to stayed here with me. Would that be okay?"

"S-sure…"

Lenalee was amused at how quickly Allen could revert back to his shyness. They had been holding each other just moments before but now the nervousness was back. After all that they had shared, he was still concerned about propriety and manners. Perhaps Mana taught him a little too well, she mused. But this was why she trusted Allen above all else, even herself.

Pulling him towards her with the hand that had never let him go, she turned the covers over with the other as she inched back against the wall so he had room to lie down on the small bed. She caught his panicked look as he realized that he was apparently not going to be sleeping on the floor. She gave him a reassuring smile and quickly closed her eyes so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable facing her as they lay prone.

"Goodnight, Allen-kun," whispered Lenalee, the exhaustion of the night's conversation and the emotional havoc it wreaked finally bearing down on her even as her heart raced at their proximity.

"Goodnight, Lenalee," he whispered back, pulling the covers over both of them and settling in. He looked at Lenalee's smooth, peaceful face, and at the remnants of streaks left behind by the tears she had shed for him and with him that night.

As sleep overcame her, the last thing Lenalee felt was Allen's hand clasping hers on the pillow they shared between them.

**TO BE CONTINUED – next up, the trip home…**

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A/N - If you guys haven't yet, I implore you to go read Pensulliwen's CAPSLOCK DGM SUMMARIES. She really nails it on the head just how much wackiness is going on from Chapter 188 and on and you will laugh your ass off, I promise. Possibly some of the most entertaining stuff I have read in a long time. If this link doesn't work, the story is in my favorites tab or you can search for it under her name or the title. However you do it, just please read it...it's a gem!

fanfiction(dot)net/s/5553299/1/CAPSLOCK_DGM_SUMMARIES

A/N II – Omg, have you guys been reading the manga? I finished chapter 204 and have been nerd-raging for the past couple of days. SPOILERS AHEAD -

We get to see Lenalee in, like, two whole panels. But she still does nothing! All the while Rhode has thrown herself all over Allen and even taken a blow for him and now he has no choice but to go off with her and Tyki and be declared a Noah. We all knew this was going to happen but I had expected something more from Lenalee regarding Allen's state. For the past 50 chapters their interaction with each other has been so limited and, really, ignored. Why oh why did Hoshino spend so much time cultivating their relationship only to cast it aside?

On top of this, I have had to take the onslaught of all the Allen X Rhode 'shippers on various sites who have come out en masse due to the events of Chapter 204 to declare that Allen is now in love with Rhode (or soon will be). Sigh. I'm exhausted from debating with them…but hell if I'm going to back down.

What I wouldn't give to see Allen, Lavi, Lenalee and Kanda back in the same room again. They've all been splintered so far apart. It's understandable that, for the sake of the main 14th story arc, Allen has been purposefully made to feel distant and even betrayed by the place he once called home and people he called family and the Order and Vatican are being vilified while the Noah are being given a different, positive layer. It gives greater conflict to the decision(s) he will invariably have to make regarding how he will have to view each camp. Possibly this is what sets up Marians words that Allen will have to kill people he cares about. But it's all up in the air still and it doesn't seem like we'll be getting solid answers anytime soon.

Still, I am very disappointed about just how little interaction Allen and Lenalee have had with each other up until now and this also applies to Lavi. Let's get back to the central characters! But, ohhhh noooo, 204 chapters in and there are still new characters and devices being introduced (Apocrypha?). I would really like DGM to end while it's at its peak instead of stretching out another hundred chapters that don't really have much substance. The manga itself shouldn't have fillers! (*glares at all the Kanda/Alma body horror stuff that went on for ages*)

At least we're back at the meat of the story, with Allen becoming more and more drawn into the Noah clan and the Earl's plan of Allen leaving the Order having come to fruition. Hopefully now we will get to see what the Earl's and the 14th's relationship has devolved into and what part Allen (and hopefully Lenalee, Kanda, and Lavi) have to play. Please Hoshino, please, be gentle with our hearts! But I think we are going to see more of Rhode molesting Allen. At least the art seems a little less crazy recently.


	12. Chapter 11

**Revelations Chapter 11**

*Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-Alma arc. So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn. Furthermore, that Allen will eventually be taken over by the 14th and, once that happens, he will kill someone he loves.

* * *

**Black Order – Asian Branch: Lenalee's Quarters**

Lenalee woke to a soft rapping on her door. It didn't register to her what it was at first, until she heard the series of three light knocks again. When she attempted to wipe the sleep from her eyes, she realized that her left hand was still steadfastly being held in Allen's as he continued to sleep deeply and soundly, not having moved an inch since they both fell asleep. She smiled down at him, losing herself momentarily in his serene countenance; something she wished to see on him more often.

Remembering the knocking, she reluctantly tore her eyes away. "Just a moment," she whispered toward the door. "I'll be right there."

At the sound of her last hushed words, Allen finally loosened his grip on Lenalee's hand and turned over on his side, setting her free, still lost in slumber. Lenalee couldn't help but notice the empty void left in its wake when he unwittingly broke that small but tacit connection between them. Before she could think on it longer, she turned her corner of the blankets from her and slid off the foot of the bed so as to not disturb Allen and his much needed sleep. Lenalee quickly padded to the door and unlocked it, knowing fully who was knocking as she did every morning shortly after she had come to the Asian Branch.

Quietly slipping the lock open, Lenalee opened the door a crack and saw Lou Fa standing there, looking up at her with an expression that was equal parts resolution and grief.

"Good morning, Lou Fa-chan," Lenalee said knowingly, opening the door a little more widely but stepping in to fill the gap between the door and the post. Off of Lou Fa's look, Lenalee recognized deep down that the conversation she long wanted to avoid would have to happen very soon.

Lou Fa seemed to recognize this as well and looked upon the face of her friend, knowing what she had to say but not yet finding the will to let herself accept what she might hear in return. She mentally noted that Lenalee was still in the same clothing she was wearing the night before.

After what seemed like a long minute of quiet understanding, Lenalee broke the silence, wondering how to broach the topic lightly.

"Did you want to have breakfast together, Lou Fa-chan? I don't know when I'll get the chance to eat with you again…"

"Is Walker-san in there with you?" Lou Fa blurted, the words tumbling out as if flood waters finally breached the dam and blew it wide open.

Lou Fa immediately clasped both her hands over her mouth, embarrassed at her sudden outburst, her face turning beet red.

Lenalee, for her part, tried not to blush, but the familiar heat rose to her face as well, even though she kept telling herself she had nothing to be embarrassed over.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee-san," sighed Lou Fa. "I think I'm still much better at talking to my books than to people."

"You talk to your books?" asked Lenalee, tilting her head to the side, genuinely curious, forgetting their awkward situation for a moment.

"Yup. It helps me figure stuff out if I ask my questions out loud. Usually the answers are right there under my nose and I just need to look more deeply. So sometimes I'll look right into the page I'm reading and ask my questions and you know what…" Lou Fa said, trailing off at the end, suddenly realizing that she had reverted back to the usual ease with which she spoke to Lenalee.

Lenalee couldn't help but giggle softly when the look of confusion and consternation clouded over Lou Fa's face. It was endearing how the young girl was like an open book herself; unable to truly hide any of her feelings, laying bare her emotions for the world to see just with her expressions alone.

The sound of Lenalee's laughter dismantled Lou Fa's walls a little; the walls she had built up all last night and this morning with each step she took towards Lenalee's room, heavily fortifying herself, determined to ask exactly what was going on with her and Walker-san and get a clear answer. Where she would go from there, even she didn't know. She let her shoulders relax and drop, not knowing that she'd been holding them so rigidly and tense this whole time, and felt better. Bowing her head, she exhaled a long breath, and then looked up into Lenalee's face and found only kindness in her beautiful smile and understanding in her eyes. If her fears were true, could she really begrudge Walker-san for it….?

"Lenalee-san….you know, you can tell me…" she began.

"L-Lenalee…?" said a tired voice from inside the room.

Lou Fa stiffened, immediately recognizing it. Taken off guard herself, Lenalee quickly turned her body around to address the disembodied voice and that was when Lou Fa espied the undeniable form of Allen Walker sitting up from Lenalee's bed, yawning and stretching his arms languidly.

"Good morning, Allen-kun," said Lenalee with more calm than she thought she could muster. She quickly turned her attention back to her guest at the door but no one was standing there anymore. Lenalee looked out further into the hall and turned her attention toward the sound of footfalls echoing away from her and Lou Fa turning a corner, out of sight.

Lenalee sighed heavily and closed her door, leaning her forehead against it afterwards while her hand still rested on the knob. That did not go the way it was supposed to, even if she didn't have the first clue as to how it actually should have gone.

"Are you all right, Lenalee?" asked Allen, fully awake now. "Was someone at the door?"

She walked back to her bed and sat down next to him, smiling at his disheveled hair and the gravelly voice he had first thing in the morning.

"Did you sleep okay, Allen-kun?" she asked, re-prioritizing.

His eyes seemed to lose any signs of tiredness then and he looked straight at her.

"Yeah…yeah, I did. I think that's the best sleep I've had in a long time," he admitted. "And you, Lenalee?"

"I slept so soundly…I never even woke up once…" she began to say when she realized something else about her night's slumber. "I didn't even dream…"

Off of Lenalee's words, Allen realized that she had meant it as a positive thing and he remembered the night she had told him about her recurring nightmare. Was she still having that same, terrifying dream to this day?

Almost as if she read his mind, she said, "I have that dream all the time. It happens so often that when I close my eyes for any long period of time, even when I'm awake, it's as if the dream has imprinted its images behind my eyelids and I can still make out the harsh outlines of fallen buildings, rubble, the unforgiving moon, and…and…"

Allen reached out and covered her hands with his, alarmed at the rising panic in her voice as she described her daily nightmare. Her hands felt as cold as ice.

"But not last night," she continued. "It was the first time - for as long as I can remember - that I wasn't met with that vision when I closed my eyes. I-I think you had something to do with that."

"Me?" he said, with a little squeak, pointing to himself as he asked.

She smiled at his genuine surprise and gently squeezed the hand that still held hers. "Yes, you. You've always protected me, Allen-kun."

Allen regarded Lenalee soberly, who was smiling up at him with such sincerity and affection. It reminded him of that night he came to his senses in the science lab at the old headquarters after one of Komui's crazy creations almost annihilated The Order. She was by his side then, caring for him when he was unconscious. Reever had later told him that she had been the one who had taken out Komlin II and kept him from being operated on. He had to admit that most of the events of that night of insanity were hazy…all except for the moment he woke up to find Lenalee sitting by him, welcoming him home, and, as if a clarion bell was set off ringing in the tower of his being, he realized right then that he would be happy if he could see her smile like that all the days of his life…like she was smiling at him now.

"And I always will, Lenalee. I promise," he managed to choke out, realizing he was staring at her as he did that night in the lab, transfixed and disarmed.

They stayed that way for a long time until Allen could feel his heart's blood pulsating in his ears and he could swear he heard Lenalee's own heart beat in tandem.

"I didn't answer your question before but, yes, there was someone at the door," said Lenalee, before Allen could think of what to say next.

"Ah…was it Lavi?" he asked, unsure if he was grateful for the topic change. "Do we know when we're to leave?"

"No. It wasn't Lavi," she replied, hemming.

Allen waited for her to finish.

"It was Lou Fa."

"Oh. Is she all right?"

"I…that I don't know, Allen-kun."

"What the matter?" he asked, concerned.

"Well, she usually comes to meet me in the morning so we could have breakfast together…"

"Have you two have become good friends?"

"Yes, actually."

"That's great, Lenalee!"

"I think so, too. But I think I might have really hurt her feelings today."

"Why would you say that?"

"She saw you in here and she ran away."

"Oh! Did I offend her somehow? Wait, how could you have hurt her feelings then, Lenalee?"

"Allen-kun, don't tell me you've never noticed…?"

"Eh?"

Lenalee shook her head but realized she wasn't terribly surprised.

"Lou Fa has an incredible crush on you."

"Me?" he exclaimed, pointing to himself again for the second time that morning.

Lenalee reached across and grabbed the hand that was pointing into his own chest in disbelief, pulling it down and back into his lap.

"I'm afraid she's smitten," she said, seeing the flush that was creeping over Allen's face. "I'm also afraid that I might have ruined any chances between you two because you stayed here with me last night. She must be thinking all sorts of things right now that aren't true."

"Aren't true…?" Allen repeated, absently.

"I can't imagine what's going through her mind right now. She knows we spent all night together. I'm sorry, Allen-kun."

"Sorry?"

"I'm sorry if I made things awkward between you two."

"Oh! No, I don't think that's quite it. I mean, I like Lou Fa and all…"

"You do?" Lenalee asked, trying not to show that she was crestfallen.

"Yeah, she's really nice and hard-working…"

"She really is," was all that Lenalee could muster before she fell into a noticeable silence.

Lenalee thought back on the events of the past evening. She and Allen spent the wee hours of the night buttressing each other during their respective turmoil; reaffirming their place in each other's lives and their dedication to their deep and abiding friendship. Their past and present pain were annealed at least a little by each other's presence and words of support and faith. And he stayed with her, by her request, to guard over her heart and dreams, which he did exceedingly well. She was thankful for him; for his always wanting to protect her from harm – as a good friend is wont to do. Lenalee also wanted to be fair to Lou Fa. She would try to advocate her even if it meant that her own feelings may be squelched. It was up to Allen to decide and she would always respect his choices. Whatever happened, above all else, she did not want to lose his friendship. And in order to keep it, and to support his happiness, she knew she would do anything.

And now, hearing from his own mouth that Lou Fa was someone he liked, she braced herself to accept what came with it.

Just then, they heard a solid knock on the door. It seemed to Allen that Lenalee barely registered the noise but she stood up nonetheless and went to open it.

Suddenly, Allen saw a fist come flying through the opening in the doorway, but even faster was Lenalee who in one sweeping motion side-stepped it, grabbed the wrist and used its own forward momentum to pull the rest of the person into the room and then proceeded to put the person into a vice-like headlock.

Allen was already on his feet at that point but it was then he realized the head being clutched in the crook of Lenalee's arm had a full crop of red hair.

"Oh! Lenalee! That was impressive!"

"Lavi! What was that for?" cried Allen.

"I just wanted to see if Lenalee's training was worth it, that's all!" Lavi croaked, still in a headlock. "Seems like you learned a lot, eh?" he continued, trying to twist his head up and around at an impossible angle to look at Lenalee in the face.

"You tell me," said Lenalee, finally smiling and releasing him. It was good to see Lavi again.

"Meh, I guess you pass," he managed to say nonchalantly, as he rubbed his wrist and neck, hoping there wouldn't be bruises there tomorrow. "What are you kids doing?"

"Just chatting," answered Lenalee, rather quickly. This was not lost on Bookman Junior.

"What's the word from Bak-chan?" asked Allen.

"I came to tell you that our coach leaves at noon. You have time for breakfast and to pack anything you have. Then we'll head out for Guangzhou soon after. Sound good?" said Lavi.

"That should be fine. I just have some loose ends to tie up and I'll be ready by noon," replied Lenalee.

"Don't worry, Lenalee," assured Lavi. "Two-dots called your brother last night to say we had arrived in Guangzhou and would be heading back within a few days. That guy can sure spread it on thick when he has to. Kinda scary, actually. I don't know if he should be working for a religious organization, you know?" Lavi went on.

Lenalee nodded and started reaching for some clothes in her closet to change into. "Thanks, Lavi. For everything. For helping me be able stay here as long as I could. I'm sorry I had to involve you in this ruse."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Keeping mum is kinda my thing," replied Lavi, lightly, though he wondered at the serious tone that was hanging over the room. "I'll let you get ready. See you at breakfast, then." Lavi gave a salute and then rubbed his offended wrist in mock pain at Lenalee before shutting the door behind him.

"So what do you think I should tell Lou Fa?" asked Allen, as soon as the door closed, picking up the conversation as if it had never been interrupted.

She made as if she were gathering up her luggage, her back to Allen, even though she had spartan belongings in her short stint at the Asian Branch. She thought about it carefully for a few moments.

"I think you should tell her the truth. Tell her how you feel. She deserves to know," she finally replied, without turning around, not wanting Allen to see any visible cracks in her demeanor.

"I think you're right," she heard him say.

Lenalee heard Allen get up and she suddenly felt the pit of her stomach fall out beneath her. What had she facilitated? It was just the other night that she had convinced herself that she wouldn't get in the way if Lou Fa's feelings for Allen were reciprocated, didn't she? But she hadn't expected things to happen so quickly, especially so soon after their own reunion of sorts. Lenalee felt restored in many ways. She and Allen were talking again and back to being as close as they ever were after he shared so much about himself. She felt an aching start in her chest but she knew she only had herself to blame for it.

As she folded the same shirt for the third time, she felt strong arms encircle her waist from behind. She froze.

"Thank you, Lenalee," whispered Allen against the side of her neck. He couldn't know the affect this had on her or the thousands of goose bumps that now prickled her skin all the way up and down her arms. But she dropped the shirt she had been clutching and slowly covered his hands with hers where they had folded over her torso.

"For…what…?" she stuttered.

"For listening to me. For caring about me. For taking care of me. It means a lot."

"You don't have to thank me, Allen-kun. You do the same for me."

Lenalee could almost swear that she felt him smile against her.

After a few moments, she felt his arms loosen about her and the warmth of his closeness recede. Allen was opening the door to leave.

"Where are you going?" Lenalee asked, hesitantly.

"To find Lou Fa. I'm going to follow your advice."

TO BE CONTINUED

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A/N – Ugh! Sorry this took so long. I was no unmotivated due to work, class, research papers, etc. Then DGM chapter 205 came out and I squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'd for a while and had to recover. I don't care that Allen said he "daisuki'd" Lenalee and everybody else at The Order instead of "ai" or "aishiteru." What I'm taking away from it is that he hugged her of his own will and caressed her face before stepping into the gate. Also, I'm just glad that we got to see Lenalee in more than one panel finally! Am doing the happy dance. In other news, after almost 20 years, I'm going to start drawing again. First thing I'm going to try is a series called "Lenalee Through the Ages" with her in different period costumes (and even in cosplay). If that comes out decently, I'll actually try to illustrate my fics and see how that goes. Wish me luck. I've never drawn with a tablet before :-/

Okay, onto some business….

A/N Part II– I just wanted to address a few of things that readers have brought up. They were good points/questions so I want to make sure I clarify some things about them…

_TWI-hard Kristine 101_ pointed out that I had incorrectly depicted how Allen and Mana met. She referenced the chapter in the manga that shows Mana and Red (this was Allen's nickname in the circus, given to him because of his arm) burying Mana's dog (the dog's name was actually Allen) that was killed by Cosimo, a jealous rival circus performer. This is all true and I recall that chapter vividly and remembered it while writing the previous chapter of this fanfiction. I assumed that the readers would also know about this or be familiar with it as well and so I only wrote about how Allen _perceived_ Mana on a day to day basis after already having met him that sad day when Mana's dog died. According to the DGM Reverse novels, the day that Mana's dog died is not the first time Allen has seen Mana there at the circus. Mana and his dog had been performing at that circus for some time but Allen just refused to get close to them because he knew people would leave him so he purposefully kept his distance. But, because Mana is shown in full clown make-up and garb that day he's burying his dog, I wanted to talk about the times when Allen also saw Mana in formal attire (i.e. suit and hat) and that he was confused as to why. There is a panel in Chapter 17, page 15 of the manga, where Allen remembers Mana saying "Welcome back/home, Allen" and Mana is in his formal attire. So I wanted to try and connect and reconcile the two views of Mana that Allen had: the one where Mana's a traveling clown (which is how they met) and the one where he saw him in his formal wear (which is how I imagined Mana got to know Allen after hours and consequently adopted him). I didn't have Allen specifically mention the part about Cosimo or the dog to Lenalee last chapter because I didn't think it was the important part. Rather, I thought just talking to her about how he felt about Mana at the time, specifically with his adoption and living with him, might work better. I hope that clears it up a little bit in terms of the story. Thanks, _TWI-hard kristine101_, for helping me realize I was a little unclear about how I depicted Allen and Mana's meeting.

Btw, the Reverse novels do go into more detail about Allen and Mana's hard life at the circus and the extent to which Mana went a little crazy. It notes that Mana was 17 when the Earl was chasing him and his brother around and he woke up one day suddenly looking old. He started to call Red after the name of his dog that died saying things like "When did you get so big, Allen?" or "Where did your tail go?" And so Allen just took the name. There is a drawing of Allen sitting with Mana without make-up on and Mana amazingly resembles ….the Earl! They may all be related: Mana, the Earl, the 14th…oh such family issues…

Secondly, _addenza_ had mentioned in one of the earlier reviews that she had the impression that Lou Fa was actually older than Lenalee. I never recalled that being pointed out in the manga or anime so I just assumed Lou Fa was younger because that was just my personal impression, especially because of her stature, behavior, and the fact that she doesn't call Allen with the –kun suffix as most older people do (Lenalee, Lavi, Komui, etc). However, I recently read in the DGM wikia that Lou Fa might be 18 years old! That site tends to have many errors so I tried to do some research into it but I can't find any reference or back-up for this bit of information and no one can tell me where to find any support for this. _addenza _might be right about this but I'd sure like to know for certain if anyone has any solid confirmation. Perhaps it was mentioned in one of those Reverse novels (though I've read the chapter about Lou Fa, and I don't recall her age being mentioned) or maybe Hoshino said it during an interview or wrote it in an article somewhere only released in Japan? Anyway, I wanted to mention this because I wanted to give addenza credit for bringing this to my attention and if this turns out to be true, I apologize for making Lou Fa younger than she is in canon. I typically don't like changing characters in any way so I thought I was depicting Lou Fa correctly but that was under my assumption that she's younger than Lenalee. For the purpose of this particular story, I'm just going to keep Lou Fa as younger and I will continue to try and find out for sure for any future stories she may be in. Thanks, _addenza_, for bringing this up!

UPDATE May 2, 2011 - AHA! I found it...and addenza is right! lou fa is 18 years old! Whuuuu...? B-b-but she looks and acts like she's 14. No matter, it says so in the fanbook that Hoshino created so it must be true. Here's the actual portion:

**31. ROHFA**

**Personal Data**  
Age: 18  
Nationality: Chinese  
Height: 155cm  
Weight: 40Kg  
Birthday: 20th March  
Zodiac: Aries  
Bloodtype: O  
Interest: Reading  
Likes: Allen  
Dislikes: All bugs, unruly hair

Thanks again, _addenza_, for pointing this out so I can sniff around for it. I apologize that I'm using her in this story as someone not her age. In any future stories, if she's in them, I'll make sure she's correctly 18. Wait, she's 18 and is hard-core crushing on Allen who's 15? Uuuh, that's not creepy at all...yeeaaaaaah...lol.

_Dragonzftw_ had asked in the review section if Mana was actually the 14th's younger brother. Honestly, I had always just assumed Mana was the older brother…at least, that's the impression he seemed to give off to me but I couldn't really come up with any solid evidence in my memory. But I looked around and thankfully, I did find the answer. In chapter 202, page 29 of the manga, Allen actually states that _**the 14**__**th**_ is Mana's _**younger **_brother. Yay! Solid answer found! Thanks, dragonzftw, for asking so I could find out.


	13. Chapter 12

**Revelations Chapter 12**

******Dedicated to _**Kuraun Kuraun**_, who has been a staunch supporter from my noob days (and yes, I am still in this phase, I argue) and not only writes helpful, detailed reviews and messages, but also weaves some great tales herself. Thank you for your constant kindness and insightful conversations.

*Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the -Man Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-Alma arc/craziness. So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn.

* * *

**Asia Branch - Lenalee's Quarters**

Where are you going?" Lenalee asked, hesitantly.

"To find Lou Fa. I'm going to follow your advice," he said, smiling, as he walked out.

"O-oh…I hope…good lu…" she tried to finish saying, not knowing whether her voice was even above a whisper by that point. But Allen was already out in the hallway and the door was shutting slowly behind him.

The click as the door latched closed seemed to resound loudly in her ears and elsewhere deep within her. It seemed so final, somehow, that door closing on her.

She managed to slump down on the floor with her back against the end of her bed, the shirt she had been folding over and over now just a wrinkled heap beside her. Her head felt heavier than the rest of her all of a sudden so she let it fall back and rest back on the mattress while her eyes focused on the blank nothingness of the white ceiling.

There was an old saying…"You don't know what you've had until you've lost it…" or something to that effect, Lenalee thought to herself. But how could she feel a sense of loss over something she never truly had in the first place? Was it all misplaced hope that she talked herself into actually believing?

Unwittingly, her memories returned to the beginning of it all; to the first day she met Allen Walker. She remembered how very young he looked as she saw the images being projected by the patrol golem on the day he arrived outside Headquarters. Lenalee observed as much as she could, quickly, even if no one else noticed she had. The boy's white hair was shocking at first but it seemed to frame his face as well as the almost silver color of his eyes. By the look of his disheveled clothing and the dirt on his hands, she surmised that he had climbed the entire way up. If only General Cross had advised his apprentice that there was a secret but functional elevator that led all the way up to the Gate, it could have saved the boy a lot of time and effort. But the incredible tenacity it took for that feat alone was not lost on her.

When she had finally gone outside by her brother's request, he had such a stricken look on his face, though no wonder as he was still looking down the pointed end of Kanda's katana, that she recalled having taken some mild enjoyment out of tapping Kanda's head with her clipboard and seeing both of their reactions: Kanda's one of utter indignation and Allen's tense confusion. She would have giggled right then and there had she not taken her responsibilities so seriously.

As soon as they had stepped inside, she introduced herself and he received her politely. Kanda had reverted to his normal, social self, aside from the one where he wants to lop someone's head off, and was rather terse with Allen, calling him cursed and refusing to even shake hands with him. Lenalee remembered the surge of feeling protective of Allen even then; hoping to spare the boy any more hurt feelings. After all, the organization that should have readily ushered him in had just gotten through nearly extinguishing him at their doorstep. It was one thing to be cautious, as Lenalee still planned on being, but it was another to almost lose a possible new addition to their family just because her brother couldn't keep his desk tidy to save his own life.

_Sigh. Nii-san_

She had quickly come up with a reason for Kanda's behavior; she knew him well enough to make up excuses on his behalf without him caring a wit. As Kanda walked away, she gave Allen the tour and answered his questions, well…most of them. She knew that the guards and staff passing by were talking about him under their breath; noting his age and his strange appearance that did not seem to coordinate with his youth. She wanted to cover his ears so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable but she could only hope that he didn't hear the whispers. And when she had mentioned that the Exorcists called Headquarters home, Allen had seemed to brighten up considerably and she knew then that it was what he desperately needed and wanted. She was going to look forward to planning and throwing the welcome party for him so much more knowing this…

They had been through so much together since that fateful day. As the memories of their hard-won victories and tragic losses flooded her mind, she realized she couldn't pin point the exact moment she started to see Allen differently. She had always known he was special, from that first day, but when had their camaraderie evolved into this living, breathing thing residing deeply within her?

Was it when he came back from his first mission with Kanda and she heard the sound of his voice penetrate through the thick fog that was enveloping her unconscious mind during the Komurin attack on Headquarters? She could still remember how the soft timber of his boyish tenor voice cut through so vividly while she was in her stupor. It was what made her wake herself up at that moment, only to find that headquarters was crumbling and her brother's infernal creation had already drawn Allen into its maw.

Or was it on their first mission together when she realized he was throwing himself into the sphere of a self-destructing akuma? She watched it all happen in what seemed like slow-motion. The akuma was seconds away from detonating and Allen was making a bee line for it without any regard for his own safety or how others might feel if he was hurt in any way or…killed. Without hesitation, she hurtled herself at top speed using her Dark Boots to carry her, and intercepted Allen before he entered the nexus of the explosion. He was so angry with her. He did not understand why she did what she had done. In turn, she was just as angry, if not more. Lenalee had never slapped anyone before then; not even an enemy. So why then? The thought of Allen not giving his own life more weight angered her beyond what she could bear and it also made her incredibly sad. If he wasn't going to value his life, she would make him. Not just for his sake, but for hers as well.

Or maybe it was when she thought she had really lost him; when there was no trace of him left but his thick, darkening blood on the floor of that canopied bamboo forest. Her heart stopped beating in that moment and she no longer felt she was among the living herself. She didn't want to be. She wanted to be where ever Allen was, just to see him, if only for a moment. Her own blood ran cold in her veins and she felt herself shutting down. Watching that moment, through Timcanpy's recording, when his Innocence was destroyed was like watching her entire world go up in flames, not just a piece of it.

Could it have been when the only way her life force returned to her was when she had chosen to believe that he'd return to her and everyone else? Or was it that time she was being held captive in a vortex of the macabre by the Earl himself as he was just about to devour both her and her Innocence whole, when Allen had appeared behind her, out of nowhere, and she felt her stagnant heart begin to beat once more?

No, it had to have been when she finally woke up from her long-enduring nightmare to find Allen holding vigil, bending over her, asking contritely for her forgiveness. Wasn't it then that she felt the swell of life return to her and the overwhelming need to touch him and not ever let go? It must have been then, when she looked unblinkingly into his clear eyes as if he were the only person left in the world, and for that moment, she didn't mind that notion at all.

Sifting through these recollections, what Lenalee slowly came to realize, as she sat there projecting these intense memories and images onto the blank canvas of the white ceiling above her, was that she had always loved him. All of these instances were indications that she had already loved him long before. Her heart began to pound loudly and suddenly her chest cavity seemed too small to contain the thudding against its walls. She placed her right hand over her sternum, as if that would be enough to reinforce the weakening structure.

And now, it was actually starting to hurt.

**Asia Branch - Science and Research Dept., basement level**

"Mr. Walker! What a nice surprise!" cried Sifu, upon Allen's unannounced entry into their cavernous lab.

Rikei violently wrenched his face out of a stack of data reports when he heard Sifu's greeting. "Walker! It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said, genuinely glad to see a familiar face but also happy to pull himself away from the endless stream of charts and graphs.

"Good to see you as well, Sifu, Rikei!" Allen said, smiling.

"Is there anything we can help you with?" inquired Sifu.

"A-ah, yes, I was wondering…" began Allen…

"Are you by any chance looking for Lou Fa?" Rikei inserted.

"How did you know…?" asked Allen.

"Well, she did come flying through here a few moments ago. She grabbed her pile of work and left just as quickly without a word," explained Sifu.

"She did?"

"Yup. But what an interesting turn of events. Usually it's the other way around," stated Rikei, smiling.

Sifu chuckled.

"Uh…I don't quite understand…" said Allen.

"Well, Walker, when you're around, you usually leave the room and then she goes after you, not the other way around as it seems to be this morning," retorted Rikei, still smiling.

"Eh…I see…" Allen replied, nervously. _Does everyone know but me? _"Do you by any chance know where she may have gone?" he continued, trying to play it off.

"When she wants to work alone, she often takes her files to the library on the floor above. You could try there," suggested Sifu.

"Okay, thank you both for your help," Allen said, waving cheerfully and walking back toward the hall.

"I hear you're leaving after lunch so let's eat together later!" cried Rikei.

"Sure! Sounds great!" replied Allen back to them before he turned the corner. _News travels fast, _he thought to himself._ Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be running around here, even if it was the lower levels of the branch._

**Asia Branch – Mundane Library **

Both here and back at Headquarters, there was a science library where subject matter books occupied the same space as the specific labs to which they pertained, and there was also a mundane library which was just as vast. This was where all of the non-scientific books were located. Allen had never seen anyone in the mundane library back at headquarters with the exception of Lavi and Bookman, and sometimes Lenalee, when she was looking for new recipes or special interest books. So he supposed if someone was looking for a quiet place to work, this would be it.

At first he didn't hear anyone when he entered but when he stopped walking, he could hear the shuffling of paper coming from the corner in the very back. As he made his way closer, he then also heard another characteristic sound.

"Lou Fa…are you crying?" asked Allen, awkwardly, standing several feet away from the table where she sat with her back to him.

She gasped and turned without thinking and it was plain to see that she was having a tearful morning. Streaks of old and new tears paved a trail from her face down to her small chin and there were mounds of crumpled tissue strewn all over the table already.

"W-walker-san!" she exclaimed and quickly turned back around to wipe her eyes and face with the sleeve of her lab coat. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound as conversational as she could while frantically cleaning up her table.

Allen quietly moved and sat down in the empty chair beside her. "I just wanted to talk with you. Do you have a few moments?" he asked.

"I…I have a lot of work to do but…I guess I could…" she muttered, not meeting his eyes. She was not ready to talk to him, she rarely ever was; so much so that she counted herself lucky to could get out a full sentence to him without stuttering or feeling sheepish. And that was in a normal situation. But she also could not find it in herself to refuse him anything, even if it meant her dignity. She amassed all the tissues in her near vicinity and threw them into the basket that was underneath the table, her eyes darting everywhere.

"Lou Fa…" began Allen.

"Hm?" she squeaked.

"Please look at me."

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his and was immediately lost in those mercurial pools. Her scalp felt tingly and her braids almost seemed to straighten because of it. The color rose to her nose and cheeks and her face slackened in response to his kind smile.

How could he not have seen this before? It was so obvious now. The silent scrutiny made his face flush as well; uncomfortable with the reaction he was inadvertently eliciting from her.

After a few moments of awkwardness, Allen cleared his throat lightly.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," he began.

Lou Fa came out of her reverie at the sound of his voice.

"What do you mean? Sorry for what, Walker-san?" she asked, with more strength than she ever thought she had.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I don't think Lenalee should bear the responsibility at all. It's really me."

"Lenalee? What does Lenalee-san feel responsible about?" she inquired.

"I think she believes she's done something to make things…awkward…between us," he explained, still unsure how to approach this.

"I don't think Lenalee-san would ever do anything to intentionally hurt me, Walker-san," Lou Fa said.

"I feel the same."

"And neither would you," she added.

"I would never wish to, of course. You, Sifu and Rikei have done so much for me. I am very grateful to you all."

Lou Fa nodded almost imperceptibly. And then…

"Are you and Lenalee lovers?"

Allen felt as if he had been struck in the face by a flying brick, teetering so far back in his chair that he almost fell over. He grasped the edges of the table for some stability.

"Wha…what?" was all he could manage at the moment as he turned beet red and tried to remember how to breathe again.

_Think before you open your mouth! _She berated herself.

"I mean…that is to say, is Lenalee-san someone special to you?" she rephrased.

And now he had come to it. It seemed so simple an idea when he was still looking around for Lou Fa this morning. He'd find her and apologize to her for misunderstanding and even misleading, and then be truthful to her if she asked something like this. He'd just tell her.

_Tell her what? _His mind screamed at him.

Lou Fa saw such a stricken expression on Allen's face, she wondered if she should retract the question entirely. But she had to know for certain. As a scientist, she only knew how to work with factual data and hated guessing and wondering the most. She always wanted to know things sooner than later, even if that knowledge was something that would set her back, prove her wrong, or god forbid, break her heart. So she waited patiently for Allen to calm down, which he eventually did, until finally he began to look contemplative. With enough time, he'd soon give her the answer, she was certain of it.

There were a scant few people in his life that Allen could say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, had a profound effect on him. One was Mana, his father. Though his life with him was difficult, he never doubted Mana's love and care for him…until recently. But after last night, he'd found some perspective again and decided that he would fight to keep that faith in Mana so that their life spent together was not in vain. Then there was his Master, General Cross, who was an entirely different kind of teacher and mentor than Mana was. His way was vindictive, unscrupulous and callous- always leaving Allen to hold the bag…sometimes literally. But would he have made it to the Order without Master's training, whether it was in properly using his Innocence or in the fine art of subterfuge and blatant underhanded cheating?

And even with all the grudges, misgivings and bitterness, when he gave Allen the news of the existence of the 14th and his relationship with Mana, didn't Master gingerly hold him, trying to cushion the blow of life-changing words he had to deliver. Even in his shocked state, he realized it was the first time Master had ever shown any affection towards him and it was so tender that he had no other choice but to believe in its genuineness, even if it only lasted a brief moment.

And without Master, would he have met all of these friends whom he now considered his new family? He recalled that first night he appeared before the Order. It was such an ordeal that he seemed to have suppressed the initial events of that night unless he really tried to recall it. But what was easy to remember was the sight of a young lady who had rescued him using a clipboard, ushered him in, and welcomed him to his new home.

_Lenalee. _

Lou Fa noticed the marked change in Allen's expression. It was all happening quickly…at least it seemed so to her.

There had been so much to absorb and learn in his first days at the Order and everyone was patient and understanding with him. With each "welcome home" he heard whenever he returned from a mission, he truly felt he had come home. But there was one that stood out with singularity. When he'd finally regained consciousness after that ridiculous incident with Komui's creation, he was met with the sight of Lenalee taking care of him while he recovered. And then, she smiled at him so sweetly that it stunned him in place for a moment until he felt his chest ache. She didn't seem aware of the affect it had on him as she continued to speak to him normally, comfortably. Perhaps she was just used to being on the receiving end of such reactions from boys and so it didn't faze her at all. Or perhaps she didn't have a conceited bone in her body. He would soon learn it was the latter.

On their first mission together, he remembered feeling quite nervous. He was still new to the rules and, furthermore, he had never worked alone with a young lady before. She was his comrade but he often found himself feeling a little intimidated because she was assertive and more experienced. On top of that, he found he was constantly waiting to see her smile at him, the way she did that day. But instead, he had made her so angry that she had hit him as hot tears fell from her eyes. It was not the effect he wanted to have on her but he was so carried away at the time. He instantly regretted it. Later, when she averted her eyes when they had met his, he felt more distraught than ever but never questioned why. But she eventually forgave him. It had taken a little effort on his part, but she did. The condition of her mercy was to just be allowed to fight by his side since she would always help him. He remembered smiling then - because even though he was in the wrong, Lenalee was giving more than she was really forgiving.

From that point, unconsciously he'd find himself looking around for her in the dining hall or in the science department, hoping to catch a glimpse as she passed through the hall with coffee so he could offer to help and see that smile of hers again. The little daily dalliances buoyed him more than he ever realized; it had pulled him out of dark thoughts and grim conclusions. He only had to think of her laughing or smiling and he'd be pulled back out from the darkness, just as she had pulled him away from the shadows that night in Crowley's castle.

It startled him, just how close she was at the time. Somehow, she'd seen found him during a most anxious time, when his cursed eye was evolving and causing him pain. She had just run to him, clutching him to her before he could retreat into the darkness. He remembered feeling so many things at the time: nervousness at her proximity, the pleasant warmth rolling off of her as she shuddered from the fear or the cold or both, the impact of his realization that she accepted all of him, regardless of his cursed eye, his cursed past, his cursed life. All she had wanted was for him to stay where he was, with her. And so he had settled down and rested his hand on her back as she told him of her frightening dream and the vision of her world. He soon forgot who was there to comfort whom and he didn't care. She valued him more than he thought to value himself and for that, he was grateful. The only regret he had that night, was that it had to end.

They shared a connection, it seemed clear to him now. She had come looking for him that night for that reason. And when he was in traction here at the Asia Branch, trying to recover from the wound given to him by Tyki Mikk, he vividly remembered hearing Lenalee call out to him. It was muffled at first, as if she were speaking through gauze, and then clearer and more desperate the second time. Then he knew. He knew he had to recover quickly. The hair on the back of his neck had stood straight up and he'd felt a sinking sensation. He would only find out later that Lenalee had come back from the brink of death that same night, having gone through water and fire to save her comrades.

And when she finally opened her beautiful eyes to meet his, there was no accusation there, no judgment, only steady absolution and warmth. With just a few words and the gentle touch of her hand, the pain of Suman's life came to rest at last with him. And then she smiled that smile and he was willingly held captive again. It was as if he and Lenalee were the only two people left in the world and he could take as long as he wanted to look into those dark violet irises. But she was taken away just as quickly as she had been returned to him and he felt his heart lurch just as it would have been had Tyki been there himself to rip it from his chest. He followed her. There was no question.

During that harrowing time, with her myriad cuts and bruises, her long hair burned within an inch of her scalp, legs that were bandaged to the hilt and useless, and an Innocence that no longer claimed her, the only thing she complained about was how she couldn't help her friends or carry on in her duties as an Exorcist. That was when he knew there was no single conceit within her. She didn't care how she looked or how she came across…she only cared about the safety of her loved ones and he thought her all the more lovely because of it.

He felt as if his chest was slowly caving in, thinking of Lenalee like this. He had never sat down to quantify his feelings before, especially on matters not pertaining to the Order. And when he added all of these memories up, he realized that the ache he felt was because he missed her. He had only seen her moments ago but the emptiness of her absence was palpably there. It wasn't just her smile he wanted to see; it was her. He realized that this was the very same mysterious and unknown thing that had coiled tighter and tighter in the pit of his stomach these past several months that he had forced distance between Lenalee and himself. What was this? When did he start…? He was grasping at defining something he had never had to name.

Lou Fa saw the shift come over his face again, as if clouds were parting its cover to finally reveal the sun. She was keen on making minute observations; it was what she was trained to do. Sometimes, though, she had to force herself to see results that maybe she did not wish to see. She knew it was time to prompt him once more, if only to confirm it.

"Walker-san…" she began, waiting for him to slowly focus back on her. "Tell me the truth about you and Lenalee-san?"

"I…she's…"

"WALKER!"

Both Lou Fa and Allen jumped from their seats. Howard Link strode imperiously toward them. The flop sweat on Allen's face was too obvious not to notice. He just wasn't sure if it was there prior to his arrival or afterwards.

"Walker, I have been looking all over for you. We leave in one hour and what do I find you doing? Stealing moments with yet another woman! I cannot abide you being influenced by that masher. I insist you stop hanging about Lavi as much as you do. Look at what you've become! It's bad enough that your Master also happened to be a Grade A Lothario. You may already be hopeless and irretrievable at this point!

Allen couldn't help but think of the words "mother hen" during Link's tirade but he knew he was right, he had spent most of the morning in his mind when he should be putting thoughts into deeds. First thing to do was getting Lenalee out of here and back home.

"Supervisor Bak is waiting for us in his office. You can eat your lunch there so you don't continue to expose yourself to every single person at this Branch as you seem so in wont of doing this morning. Let's go," stated Link, without equivocation.

"If you would excuse us, miss," Link said as politely as he could, with a hand already on Allen's lapel.

"I'm sorry, Lou Fa…I wanted to tell you…." Allen said, still grasping at words he couldn't conjure, as he was nearly dragged away by Link.

"I know, Walker-san. I know," she stated simply, tears pooling in her eyes but not falling.

Whatever she knew with such certainty, he wished he had a few more moments so he too could be enlightened.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

A/N – Okay! So back to the Lou Fa age issue! I know I posted the definitive proof that she's 18 years old in the previous chapter's A/N… BUT…apparently Lavi was as confused as I was (at least in the anime). In the episode titled "Homecoming," when they use the ark to return to the Asia Branch, Lou Fa bum- rushes Allen and is then accused of being his woman by General Cross, which Allen soundly denies. As Lou Fa is subsequently entranced by the notion of being Allen's woman, Lavi interjects and asks Allen, "Who is the kid?" referring to Lou Fa. SO HA! Lavi thought she was younger, too! Okay, I'm done with my rant. I beg everyone's pardon that I have her age wrong in this fic.

Also, sorry for the blocks and blocks of words. I usually like to expose plot or ideas through dialogue but it was all introspection all the time and I know it can get boring to just read thoughts. I'll try to keep that to a minimum in the next chapter because I know it's not my favorite thing to read either. Thanks for coming along all this way! I think this can only go on for a few more chapters anyway so we're in the home stretch, folks!


	14. Chapter 13

**Revelations Chapter 13**

**Oct 11, 2011 - Aug 2, 2012 (Friggin' 10 months?!)**

*Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the DGM Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story. Nothing super lemony….just some overdue conversations.

*This story takes place a little bit after the anime ends and way before the whole Kanda-Alma arc/craziness. So, this starts a couple of months after the Level 4 is defeated at HQ and General Cross is able to speak with Allen for a moment wherein he lets him know that Allen is the vessel from which the 14th will be reborn.

* * *

**Asia Branch - Branch Chief Bak's Office**

Lenalee was already waiting in Bak's office, having numbly and methodically packed what little belongings she had originally brought with her several months ago. She sat silently in one of the two chairs facing Bak's desk as he scribbled harshly on the last of his paperwork, signing them so severely that he almost cut through to the paper underneath. No matter - whatever it took for him not to look directly at Lenalee as she sat before him was what he would set his task on. This was her last day there and he was not going to have the image of his breaking into a cold sweat and floundering for words be the last thing she remembered of him. He cleared his throat if only to break the heavy silence that hung in the air between them. In his periphery, he noticed that Lenalee finally looked up from having stared down at her lap the entire time.

"I can't thank you enough, Bak-san, for allowing me to be here," started Lenalee. "I owe you and the Asia Branch more than I can repay."

"Whatever helps you get stronger helps the Order get stronger, which is ultimately my job. So, no need to feel obligated...however..." Bak said, trailing off.

"However...?" repeated Lenalee, puzzled as to what he might say next.

"...Maybe we can have some tea together in the lounge the next time I come to visit Headquarters," suggested Bak rather quickly as he scribbled even more fervently on what seemed to be the same page he had been writing on for the last half hour she had been sitting there.

"Of course..." Lenalee happily replied.

Bak smiled inwardly as he did somersaults in his head.

"...I just hope my brother won't occupy every minute of your time like he has before. There always seems to be so much work for you to do when you're there," she finished saying.

Bak's smile deflated and his mental somersaults quickly came to a screeching halt. No doubt Komui would try to foil any chance of him meeting up alone with Lenalee.

"Before I forget, here, take this for later. I have a feeling you'll need it," advised Bak evenly.

Lenalee took the pouch he handed her, peered inside, and smiled.

Before his mind started to generate various preemptive plans to escape Komui's grasp, both he and Lenalee heard the strains of Link's irked voice and Allen's intermittent protests as they were rounding the corner, approaching the office. Bak noticed Lenalee stiffen immediately as she resumed looking down on her hands that were now neatly folded over the pouch.

"You're not a child, Walker, I shouldn't have to retrieve you in order to keep to schedule!" cried Link as he finally pulled Allen in having reached their destination.

"I TOLD you I just lost track of time, I didn't mean to..."

"Losing track of time is no excuse, much less losing track of time due to your flirtatious endeavors," accused Link.

"What? I wasn't...what are you talking about?!" Allen exclaimed.

"And now look, you've made Lenalee sit here and wait all this time," sighed Link, after having noticed her already sitting there, unmoving.

Allen's voice changed from indignation to sheepishness after noticing that Link was right.

"S-sorry, Lenalee. I hope you weren't waiting too long," said Allen, scratching the back of his head, feeling small.

"It's all right, Allen-kun. " replied Lenalee, softly, without turning to address him, afraid that looking at him might break her resolve.

"Where's Lavi? Don't tell me I have to collect him as well? Heaven knows what he's up to," Link said, reproachfully.

"He's already at the coach," answered Bak, "I told him to go ahead with Lenalee's belongings and to give the driver the coordinates to Guangzhou and a few stops along the way. He knows we'd be there straight away as soon as Walker joined us. I have the last of the travel documents here so you're all set to go. Shall we?" Bak stood up and handed each of them their affidavits guaranteeing entry into the Chinese provinces.

Having donned her Exorcist uniform for the trip home, Lenalee neatly folded and tucked the documents into her belt compartment. Bak and Link had already left the room by then but Allen was waiting for her, holding the door open, ushering her out to the hallway. He was smiling.

"You look happy, Allen-kun. I'm glad," she managed to eke out as she passed him and out through the door. How much she really meant it, she was not really sure. But she wanted to mean it.

" I do?" Allen replied, quizzically. When he thought about it, he couldn't really explain it. But even now, his mood did seem to lift whenever he was around Lenalee.

Walking well behind Bak and Link, they headed toward the barracks where the coach waited; their footfalls slow and reluctant.

Lenalee couldn't help herself. Her curiosity overwhelmed the fortifications she thought she carefully built around herself since that morning.

"Did everything go all right with Lou Fa-chan?" she asked, as nonchalantly as possible.

"I am not sure, actually," replied Allen, "I THINK so."

"You THINK so?" That was not the answer she was expecting.

Allen scratched his forehead and looked up toward the ceiling as he spoke. "Well, I thought I knew what I needed to say...and from the way she acted, I think I said it. I don't know..."

Lenalee's eyebrows furrowed then twitched slightly in annoyance. Even though she wished she was in Lou Fa's position, she didn't envy being on the receiving end of Allen's ambiguity when it came to these matters. She knew how he could be, shy as he was, unable to articulate how he felt. Much of Allen's past was unknown to her, but based on how well she knew him now, she imagined that he never learned or had a chance to express himself when he was a child. Thinking about that softened her expression a little and she let her own frustration subside. It took so much for him to reveal as much as he had to her in the night. She knew his childhood didn't afford him opportunity to do a lot of things to help him with this. His childhood was just full of hard things. Lenalee exhaled audibly.

"Allen-kun, I know it must have been...awkward...but Lou Fa-chan deserves to know your heart and mind, don't you think? If it were me, I wouldn't want to keep guessing..." she said, trying not to betray too much of her own feelings.

Allen looked at Lenalee as they continued to walk. She was looking forward herself but she seemed distracted, that much he could tell.

"But she told me she knew. She seemed so sure."

"She did?"

"Yeah..."

So then it did happen. Crestfallen, Lenalee focused on what her next words should be. She still could not navigate the desire for his and Lou Fa's happiness without the disappointment of her own shattered hopes getting in the way.

"Then you must have told her everything the right way," Lenalee prompted, both as a confirmation and a conclusion.

"That's the thing...I'm not sure I said much at all."

Lenalee stopped in her tracks, frustration and loss welling up again from the pit of her stomach. She looked at Allen, who had stopped along-side her, seemingly as lost as she was as to where this was heading. She still had fight left in her but wasn't the battle already over? Before she could speak, he continued:

"She just asked me questions about you but I don't think I answered them well enough. At least, not well enough for me. But she seemed to know..."

"She asked you questions...about me?" Lenalee asked, her mind reeling.

"Yes, it was very direct. I wasn't really ready for it."

Of course, coming from Lou Fa, Lenalee expected no less.

"But why would she...?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, I tried to say I was sorry if I made things seem strange between us," Allen continued.

"Between us?"

"Between Lou Fa and me," clarified Allen, "and that you and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her."

"I hope she knows it's true."

"She does. But then she asked me..." Allen trailed off.

Allen's eyes left Lenalee's and wandered off somewhere in the direction of his boots. She noticed. Placing her right hand on his opposite shoulder, she gently prodded him on, belying her own wracked anticipation of Allen's next words. Nothing was as it appeared. If he had told Lou Fa how he felt, then what was with his own confusion? Why did Lou Fa talk about Lenalee and not her own feelings for Allen? Why was Allen acting so strangely, after everything?

"She asked me if you and I were..." he tried to say without mumbling.

Lenalee wanted to explode. But she never got the chance. Lavi's voice filled the gap in the silence.

"Allen, Lenalee, I cannot stall Link any longer. He's throwing a fit from waiting. I think those dots are going to shoot off his forehead if we don't leave now," interjected Lavi as light-heartedly as possible. Neither Lenalee nor Allen knew how long he had been standing there. Stealth befitted the Bookman well. "You'll have to finish your conversation in the coach. We have a long day of traveling ahead of us."

Allen and Lenalee nodded at Lavi and followed him the last hundred paces to the high-ceilinged barracks that were capable of holding everything from a horse coach to a small-passenger zeppelin. Having headquarters underground provided almost limitless estate.

"Where's Branch Chief Bak?" asked Allen.

"He checked the last details and went up to the research floors. Said he didn't feel the need to say goodbye in-person or something," answered Lavi.

"He has certainly done more than enough," added Lenalee.

"Everything's ready to go, just get in. Link will signal for the gate to open," assured Lavi as Lenalee and Allen climbed inside, Lavi ahead of them. Link looked at Allen narrowly from the rear boot of the coach, fuming, causing him and Lenalee to sit hurriedly next to each other, leaving the only other open spot next to Lavi.

"There's more room here if you want to change seats, Lenalee," said Lavi a little loudly, patting the seat next to him in obvious, exaggerated motions. Before Lenalee could politely decline, Link chimed in.

"Do you think you could leave Lenalee-san alone for one moment?!" came the exasperated cry from just outside the door.

"You need to relax, Two-dots," Lavi said, in Link's general direction, smirking.

A fist slammed into the panel near Lavi's head from the outside, causing a loud noise and a small crack to appear on the inside. It was a certainty that the outside looked worse by far.

Lavi chuckled quietly and shrugged, "I guess he wants me to move over more."

Link gave the signal with his hands, a sequence of code for the gatekeeper to start the chain of events that would begin uncoiling the road that would lead them upward this time. As the morning sunlight began to stream in from high above, Link hopped into the coach and took his seat next to Lavi. The driver started the horses up and they ascended.

The driver said that if they held their average speed heading southeast without pushing the horses too hard, they would reach Guangzhou in less than one day, including a few rest stops. Lavi figured the Asian Branch must be near Fuzhou since they were traveling closely to the coast. He still couldn't fathom how large and cavernous the branch office would actually stretch underground.

After the usual bickering, Link and Lavi managed to lean against the supports on the opposite ends of their seats and fall asleep, waking briefly at the more turbulent points in the ride, only to fall back into a restless slumber.

The other two were not so lucky. Though they hadn't spoken a word since they boarded the coach, neither could fall asleep or relax. Allen would nervously ball his fist closed and open again atop his lap or look out the window at the passing landscape. Lenalee would look out the opposite window or fidget in her seat or with her uniform which seemed to become more restrictive with each passing hour. The ridiculousness of the situation was not lost on her. So much to say but no words to speak.

Allen's mind would not settle, try as he might. His thoughts went back to Lou Fa in the library and the feelings her question brought to light. He was so close to something; to identifying something he felt was out of his grasp but never really knowing what it was.

In a few more hours, they would reach their first rest stop in Xiamen so they could eat and stretch their legs. Lenalee then remembered that Allen hadn't had a chance to eat anything all day with all the activity in the morning and then Link rushing them out. No sooner had she finished this thought, she heard the familiar rumbling from Allen's stomach.

"Sorry..." Allen said, quietly.

Lenalee's tension seemed to evaporate with the protest from Allen's stomach. She felt as if things shifted back into their place just then. This was how it had been. This was how it was. This was how it would be and she would have to be okay with that. With a faint smile, she reached into the small pouch Bak had handed her in his office earlier that morning.

"He really does think of everything," she said as she handed Allen some hardboiled eggs, followed by bread and slices of fruit, each separated in small containers.

Allen's eyes grew large at the sight of the spare but filling meal emerging from the pouch.

"I'm sorry, Allen-kun. I had forgotten about it until now. There was so much going on this morning," Lenalee explained.

"No, no, don't apologize. It was...busy. Won't you have some?" he asked as he offered her an egg.

"I don't have much of an appetite right now but maybe I'll have a slice of an apple," she replied, smiling. Sharing a meal with Allen felt so natural and easy. It reminded her of the reasons she cared about him. His polite demeanor, his easy but sad smile, his genuine care for his loved ones...

"Allen-kun, I am glad we're friends. I hope you know that," Lenalee said, wanting to reassure him as well as herself. In the end, she still had his friendship and it was dear and invaluable to her.

"Can there be more?" he asked.

"Mmm, I don't think so. I think that's all he packed. It's not a very big pouch," replied Lenalee, ever trying to understand his current focus of appeasing his stomach.

"No, Lenalee. Can there be more with us?"

It was her turn for her eyes to grow large. "I...I..what?" was all she could muster, looking straight at him.

Just then, Allen suddenly jerked back and grunted loudly, covering his left eye. Lavi and Link woke up to the noise.

"Allen-kun, what's wrong?!" Lenalee asked.

"Akuma...they're here..."

"How close?!" demanded Link.

They heard an inhuman shriek echo above them and then a blood-curdling scream. Link looked out the window in time to see their driver, a long-time supporter of the Black Order, being scooped away by a winged demon the size of the coach they rode in. The speed at which the driver was being carried off made Link realize that he would not be reached in time.

"Lavi, get out there and stop the horses. We're just sitting ducks in here. We need to get out and take them in the open! I'll try to bind the coach in a protection ward..."

"Right!" answered Lavi, already in action, reaching to swing the door open.

"Wait..!" cried Allen.

Something exploded underneath the coach and sent it crashing on its side, wood splintering and flying everywhere from speed with which it had been pitched to the ground. The momentum threw the coach over itself again and again, the horses having been cut from their reins by an unseen hand.

When the coach finally slowed to a halt, it was a massive heap of bent and broken wood, steaming from the heat of friction and dirt; it's frame barely holding together.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

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Good lord, I started this chapter 10 months ago! I suck! I do apologize for everything that has caused me to delay this, including my own massive procrastination. Please know that I intend to finish this fic and now that the ball is rolling again, I certainly won't wait 10 months again for the next chapter. I know how it will end :-)


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